For those that don't know, DCGA stands for Denison Campus Governance Association. This organization makes a lot of decisions within the Denison student body community. DCGA is composed of 40 students that are elected by their peers in order to represent the voice of Denison. DCGA focuses on different topics like campus culture. DCGA also has a voice in the Denison’s Code of Academic Integrity, while creating a safe and respectful environment that includes intellectual honesty.
One of the three candidate for DCGA president for 2016-2017 is rising senior, Juan Jose Bernabe. Denison is continuing to break the social norms and Bernabe entered this year's campaign determined to unite the campus as the first gay and colored candidate at Denison University. Bernabe is an active member on campus and through this interview, it really shows how much he wants to change Denison for the better.
Why did you want to run for DCGA president?
"For the past 4 years that I've been at Denison, I've notice that our community has grown apart. So one thing that made me want to run as DCGA president is that I want our university to be united. I want to push our community together by putting our differences aside and creating a safe and intellectual environment for people to thrive. I also want to create a more diverse student body, where minorities are comfortable." Bernabe also wishes to merge a closer relationship between the city of Granville and Denison University because Granville has done a lot for us. He believes that it's time to give back.
What would you want to change?
"Mainly, I want to give more power to the students. I want to hear what the students have to say and let them know that their voices and opinions really do matter on this campus. For example I want students to have a say in the decisions of hiring staff, professors, and changes on campus."
How has your social experience on the hill inspired you?
"My social experience is the main reason why I want to run as DCGA president. There is an atmosphere that the student body is very exclusive and selective. Although I do have to say that Denison has grown enormously with in the past three years, I don't think we're at our best yet. I believe that Denison needs to grow more. There needs to be less division based on social norms. I want to create a environment where we all will support each other professionally, socially, and personally even after our time as Denison. I believe I have the power to unify us as one university, one community, and one network."
Although Bernabe has more to say in his platform, which you can see on his Facebook page, one of the things he said during our interview that stuck out the most was, "I don't want to run for the title. Let's forget about the title. I want to actually make a difference in this community. I really care. I want to hear the voices of Denison and actually make a change."
