Associate Professor of English and Director of the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement (CEPE) Andy Hageman joined the November 2 Student Senate meeting to educate the Senators on the purpose of CEPE and to foster connections between CEPE and Senate.
Hageman, in his second year with the CEPE, gave the Senators an overview of what the center does in terms of bringing speakers, authors and community members to Luther to help students gain a broader understanding of our world and recent news events. President Jaraad Afroze Ahmed (‘25) explained over email that Hageman’s connection to Student Senate began over an email exchange regarding the CEPE Advisory Council.
“We got into communication with him over emails about the student representative position in the CEPE Advisory Council, a position that is filled by student workers employed by CEPE,” Ahmed said.
Hageman explained in an interview following the Senate meeting that the creation of the CEPE Advisory Council was planned in the CEPE’s founding documents. It is composed of the center’s director and assistant director, two faculty representatives from the academic divisions not represented by the director, one staff member, two student representatives and one community member with no affiliation to Luther.
Hageman and the Senate discussed the possibility of CEPE student workers reporting to Senate about the happenings of the CEPE Advisory Council. Hageman also opened a dialogue with the Senators about what the CEPE does and what it can offer to both Student Senate and all of the student organizations on campus.
“Part of our job is for me to lead with an agenda of things that we do,” Hageman said. “The other part of my job is to be a resource, and so I was really making it clear that Student Senate or any student orgs can come to us and say ‘we’re thinking about doing this activity or event. Is there any way that the CEPE can help us out?’ Sometimes that’s going to be money but it can also just be making connections or helping promote the event.”
Other topics of discussion between Hageman and the Senators included financial transparency and a discussion of past and future CEPE events. Hageman specified that the CEPE is funded by endowed funds, so CEPE-sponsored events are not paid for by fees or student tuition. Diversity Representative for Disability Emilee Burcham-Scofield (‘26), in an interview conducted after the meeting, expressed appreciation for Hageman’s visit.
“I’m super appreciative of Professor Hageman for taking the time out of his day to come and talk to us,” Burcham-Scofield said. “I know that I gained some new insight into what CEPE is, and I hope to see Student Senate collaboration with him in the future.”
Hageman also noted that the CEPE’s 2022-23 Year in Review was up online for Senators to learn more about past events sponsored by the center. According to Ahmed, the collaboration between the CEPE and Student Senate is currently focused on refining the details of how CEPE and the Student Senate can be in better communication.
“The Student Senate is always intending to collaborate with offices and organizations which aim to enrich our community,” Ahmed said. “Currently, we are hashing out the details of how the CEPE student workers will convey the information being exchanged at CEPE to the Student Senate. Otherwise, there is no tangible objective, as of right now, to collaborate on a specific goal.”
Student Senate will meet again on November 9 at 9:45 a.m. in the Mott Room of the Dahl Centennial Union.
Editor’s Note: CHIPS did not send a staff member to the Senate meeting on November 2 due to staff scheduling conflicts. This story was written using minutes from the meeting and interviews following the meeting. Burcham-Scofield, in addition to being a Diversity Representative for Disability, is also a contributor to CHIPS. She is quoted in this story as a member of Student Senate; her perspective is independent and is not connected to CHIPS.
