The Eden Hall campus has implemented several Eden Hall councils over the past four years. 

As the assistant director of residence & student life for Eden Hall, Mandy Best is striving to create a successful and active student council on this campus. The Eden Hall student council is the last working piece of the Eden Hall shared governance model, which will enhance student, faculty and staff say and streamline communication across the campus. 

Best said there are four councils: community, farm, field and forest, buildings and systems and the student council. 

“They had a pretty active student council, either before COVID-19 or following COVID-19 because there was a group of folks who lived at Orchard Hall that were really involved. Then they all graduated at the same time,” Best stated.

With the closure of Orchard Hall, the only residence at Eden Hall, the student council became a space students were drawn to in hopes of having their voice heard. 

Second-year sustainability student, council member and head of the sustainability living learning community Victoria Streeton expresses how students want to see change.

“We want involvement to get projects started,” Streeton said.

Streeton shares that the council has a diverse age range, which is an important factor in keeping the student council going.

“All different grades are involved, Mandy has an intern involved in the student council to help get projects started…she’s done work in the lodge basement [a student space].”

Best emphasizes the difference having an active student council makes, even in its early stages of redevelopment.

“The student council being active…makes the whole system complete.” 

This year, Best is focused on harnessing the student’s emotion and love for Eden Hall to create a student council that is structured. 

“This year the goal is to get goals…so far it’s really been an advisory group,” said Best.

The lack of residential students on campus makes it hard. Best acknowledges that Orchard Hall fostered an innovative space where students felt inspired to create new organizations and host campus-wide events. 

Nonetheless, Best sees a future and overall goals for the student council. Best aims to continue integrating the 3 other councils within the student council to streamline communication and transparency. 

“Next semester it will become a little more structured, I don’t know if it will ever be like elected positions, but maybe positions that like, like the model is to have a student on the other councils, so we will have 3 people on the other councils,” Best said.

Even though the student council is in its infancy, Best believes it will make a difference as more students get involved.

“I see potential for the club, we even have grad students. It’s just slow right now” said Streeton.

Best hopes to be able to step away from the student council once it becomes more structured. The overall goal is for it to be completely student-run, similar to how the Shadyside Chatham Student Government is run.