The results are in, and the students have spoken.
Next semester, Peyton Coburn, currently a sophomore sports communication major, will step into the role of student body president. Coburn spoke with The Bradley Scout post-election, giving insight into her goals for Bradley.
The following interview has been edited for conciseness and clarity.
Q: The elections just ended last Wednesday. How are you feeling about your election so far?
Coburn: I feel good. We worked hard campaigning. I feel like campaigning was really enjoyable for me, because I got to meet a lot of the student body. It kind of confirmed my reason for wanting to run. A lot of [students] have already raised concerns, and we’re excited to get things done. And, we had a really good voter turnout. The numbers were over 50% of the eligible student body that could vote, so I was very impressed with the student body for wanting to be active in the student government.
Q: What initially inspired you to run for student body president?
Coburn: I have a journalism class with Molly Hughes, and one of our assignments was to go out and report on something. I was invited by Brooke Deebs, a junior class senator, to go to a student senate meeting and report on it, and I really liked the process. I like that the people there seemed like they have a lot of drive to make Bradley a better place, so that inspired me. When I came back from spring break, Brooke brought up that no one was really running for student body president, and I said let’s toss my name in there.
Q: In your statement of purpose, you mentioned having a background in leadership roles. What were those roles, and how have they helped you get where you are today?
Coburn: My most recent would be being on the women’s golf team. We are a group of women who are working towards a collective goal, and there’s not necessarily a set leader on that team. We’re all teammates, and we’re working together, having those shared goals – collaboration and communication. In high school, I was the vice president of the National Honor Society, served on our student class committee and was the yearbook editor. I am very used to leading teams to achieve goals, and I think the same can be said about my upcoming term.
Q: What are some of your main goals for your time as student body president?
Coburn: Safety is a big issue. I think most people feel pretty safe on campus, but I think getting to campus can feel a little unsafe. In my experience, I’ve seen a little bit of a shift just around campus, and that’s normal. It happens everywhere. But I think we do have the resources around us to make it safer. I also want to continue to push academics to its full potential as well. I think there have been a lot of major cuts, and there have been some minor cuts. I want people to know the education they’re getting here is the right one for them, and I want to remind people what their resources are, and see what other resources we need.
Athletics is a big goal I have, too. I just want people to have a good time getting outside with their fellow classmates. I also want to help connect us to the broader Peoria community. I think there are some partnerships to be unlocked with businesses and organizations around here. I think that they want to be a part of Bradley’s legacy, and I think Bradley wants to be a part of their legacy, too.
Q: You also mentioned that you believe Bradley is seeking to enhance the student experience. What does the student experience mean to you, and how do we improve that?
Coburn: Right now, there is a culture everywhere to be by yourself and to just be okay with that. I think it’s totally okay to be an incredible individual and stand on your own two feet, but community is so important. I think we have lost that sense of community everywhere; I don’t think it’s just a Bradley issue. But it’s really cool when we all come together. So, the student body experience, in my opinion, should be getting people to be a community, and that means getting outside of your sports team, your sorority or fraternity, your major, and going to meet people. I want to create events where people can gather, but also listen to the student body to see what events are already going on that may need to be promoted a little more. So I think invitation is a powerful thing to build community on this campus.
Q: What obstacles do you foresee having to overcome as you actualize these plans?
Coburn: I think the biggest thing that might be an obstacle is getting people to open up about what they want. I think a lot of people see it as ‘it is what it is.’ I want people to be able to voice their concerns and voice what they think is going well and tell us what we need to do and fight for. Advocacy comes from the power of listening, and I’m going to work as student body president to make sure that all of my senators know how to listen and how to ask the right question, but also to not talk and let somebody talk to you, because I think that is so important. Once we can listen, then we can fight for change, and we can see what needs to be done.
Q: Do you have any fears or worries stepping into your new position?
Coburn: I really don’t. I’m going to be honest – and maybe I’m just overly confident – I think the excitement is still there, but I really don’t have any fears. We have an incredible administration here on campus, and an incredible senate and student body, too. So I think everybody, somewhere in the back of their mind, knows that they want the best for everybody on this campus as well.
So long as we work together as a team, I think we can accomplish all our goals. I’m so excited to have this opportunity and to hear from people about any concerns they have. I’m looking forward to representing the student body next year.
