Date: August 18, 2023
Chancellors in ecclesiastical terms vary by region, denomination, and country. In the Episcopal Church, this person is often an advisor of legal matters both on ecclesiastical and secular matters of the Church. The main job of the chancellor is to help the Church maintain good and regular order. So too, with the job of the student body chancellor, I work with the president to seek to help them maintain good and regular order so that Student Government can work effectively to serve the needs of the VTS community.
One of the tasks that President Hayden Paul has asked of me is to develop a new constitution and cannons for the Student Government. Currently, we are in the process of review and revision of the proposed new constitution that was presented to the student body last March. Currently, a task force is making final recommendations before the new constitution is re-presented to the student body and a vote is taken on ratification.
While developing new and effective governing structures and documents that reflect the current state of affairs of the student body is arduous, it is a necessary action to ensure that Student Government is working most effectively for our student body. Indeed, this task of reviewing and possibly revising governing processes and procedures is a task that many of our dioceses and the National Church will have to begin engaging in as the context of our church continues to change. But engaging in processes of government review and revision is all a part of ensuring good and regular order.
Austin Wendt, M.Div. ’24
Student Body Chancellor