Hometown: Memphis, TN
Major: Political Economy
Minor: French
Extracurriculars: Career Services Student Employee, Chi Omega, MIFA Meals on Wheels, Peer Assistant (PA) Leader, PanHellenic Council Vice President of Administration, Peer Advocate Center Director, RUKA Fellowship, Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature Vice President
From Memphis to Iowa, and then back to Memphis, Megan Singer has finally found her place at Rhodes. After a year at the University of Iowa, she felt the big state school environment just wasn’t for her. Rhodes’ intimate and strong community, however, was exactly what she needed. “I was more than taken aback when my Search professor greeted me by name in the hallway during the second week of sophomore year. This was just the beginning of my understanding of how the size of a college can impact your experience.” It not only gave her confidence in confronting new people and ideas, but also showed her that she can be involved in more than one thing.
And as soon as she stepped onto campus, Megan got involved with as much as she could. Among other things, she has volunteered with MIFA Meals on Wheels, worked as a Peer Assistant (PA) leader, currently stands as a PanHellenic Council Vice President of Administration, and is director of the Peer Advocate Center. Now Megan leads the Social Regulations Council (SRC) as president, where she supervises hearings and meetings.
“Collectively, all of these experiences changed me,” Megan notes. They have helped her grow and flourish at Rhodes, but of all the activities she has been involved in, Megan cites the Peer Advocate Center as one of the most rewarding. “I’ve seen how much influence students can have on the atmosphere at Rhodes, and that’s really special, and that’s something I really appreciate about a smaller liberal arts college.” Along with the Peer Advocate Center, Megan says Career Services also had a meaningful impact on her. Not only are they a caring group of employers, but they also helped her realize what she did and did not want from a career as she looks beyond senior year.
Megan’s own PA leader, a member of the SRC, inspired her to join. Says Megan, “I really liked her leadership on campus.” Megan began as a general council member, and was elected to serve as the 2015-2016 president last March. She learned the ropes of the job with insight from the previous president, which she said was a great help now that she’s leading on her own. “What people might not realize is that the role of the president is not to be the loudest, most experienced voice in the group; in fact, I have no vote in the process. My responsibility is to keep the council and myself completely impartial.” What she loves most about the SRC is that the student body agrees on a set of standards, based on honesty and responsibility. “I really like that students hold students accountable. When your peers agree on what climate they want for the college, it’s really powerful.”
As president, Megan wants to increase the visibility of the SRC and reduce any intimidation or mystery surrounding the organization. “I really want people to know we do our best to be fair, and that we are trying to uphold what the student body wants.” One way to accomplish this goal, she adds, might be for the SRC to hold an open forum to let people know what they do. Knowing the people who make up the council could help encourage students to avoid complacency when they see potential violations, and the opportunity to ask questions about the process has the potential to fight any negative connotations they may have about the council. But, Megan notes, “I know that part of the job is that I cannot make everyone happy. I do hope, however, that people come to understand that we work to serve the student body in the most just and fair means possible.”
The SRC has fostered personal growth for Megan as well. As the objective overseer of all meetings and trials, she notes that she’s solidified her stance on matters. “I would have been in a much grayer area before SRC. Now I feel I’ve developed stronger opinions about student behavior and what I want for the Rhodes community as a whole.” Finally, says Megan, joining the SRC has helped her to better understand who she is as a Rhodes student, and as a person.
By Swaneet Mand ′18