For the first time in the school’s 39 years of existence, students at Saint Louis University in Madrid, Spain, elected an executive board and senators on April 11-12, setting the foundation for their first formal Student Government.

Due to the constantly changing student body, no such organization existed until this year, when SLU Madrid was able to offer four-year degrees for the first time, which is key to having an effective SG. “Prior to the Student Government, the administration [in Madrid] did not have a defined method of seeking student opinion,” said Evan Krauss, president of SLU’s Student Government Association. “Now, the students that give input are those who speak for those that have elected them.”

Krauss, who played a key role in jump-starting the organization’s conception, first got in contact with Madrid’s Vice Provost Rick Chaney early on during the fall semester about organizing an SG to serve the students at SLU Madrid’s campus. Chaney strongly supported the plan, but, according to Krauss, was adamant that the students be responsible for it.

“He did not want any administrator to run the organization,” he said. Krauss later visited Madrid during Thanksgiving break to meet with students “to help get things rolling.”

After he left, a pro-tem government, called the Provisional Student Government, was set up to “[write] the Constitution and the first bylaws, advertise the creation of a student government [and] organize the elections,” said Robert Vincze, who served as president of the organization.

Only permanent, four-year Madrid students were allowed to run for SG positions, though Vincze stressed that voting was open to all Madrid students, regardless of the duration of their attendance.

When all was said and done, Cooper Corvin-Britton won the presidential race; Alex Ocasio was voted VP of administration; Talathia Jasper, VP of academics; Robert Flagg, VP for housing; Douglas Griffin, VP of facilities; Chinweike Okpala, VP of finance, and Albert Siems, VP of extracurriculars.

Four senators were also elected, though in the future there will actually be six senator positions. A fair amount of students turned out to vote, but “the only choice on the ballot was between Cooper and Ulyanna [the other presidential candidate],” said Kejan Hyanes, a reporter for La Voz del Valle, SLU Madrid’s newspaper, and also a member of the Student Government Initiative committee. “Everyone else ran unopposed.”

SLU Madrid’s SG will operate somewhat differently than the SGA here; Madrid has a student body of less than 1,000, a stark contrast to St. Louis’ of more than 10,000, so it will be run on a smaller scale. In addition, the campus in Spain consists of far fewer buildings, and thus, Madrid’s SG won’t have to focus as much on amenities that are only available here in St. Louis, such as residence halls, on-campus restaurants and the like. Even so, “the purpose of our organizations are both the same, and will fulfill the same duties and responsibilities with regard to ensuring the students’ voice is represented and that the students’ experience is enhanced,” said Krauss. “The essence of a student government is the fact that all the decisions made within the organization comes from students.”

Founded in 1968, SLU’s Madrid campus was originally part of a study-abroad program. A few years later it began to admit Spanish students and has now developed into a highly international university, with its students representing more than 60 different countries.

Until this year, students could study at Madrid for a maximum of only two years before having to transfer to the St. Louis campus or another university to finish their degrees. Thanks to this year’s shift to offering two four-year degrees and two master’s degrees, students are now able to study at the campus in Madrid for all four years and still earn a SLU diploma.

With the elections now behind them, Vincze expressed hope that “this organization will effectively represent all the students and meet the needs of?our student body, mediate between faculty, staff and students . and unify our extremely diverse and truly unique campus.” The newly elected officers and senators will attempt to do just that, beginning in the 2007-2008 school year.