Old Gold&Black “Covers the campus like the magnolias”
WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6
VOL 111 , NO. 13
Competition rises in Student Government elections
Voting for the 10 candidates running for Student Government Executive positions opened on April 8 ELLA KLEIN Editor-in-Chief On Wednesday, April 9, the election results for the 2025-26 Student Government executive board were announced. Except one. A singular candidate must receive at least 50 percent of the vote to win any position. Due to the competitive nature of the Student Body President position, the election is headed to a run-off between candidates Amaya Williams and Hanna Shakarov. Voting in the run-off election will open Thursday, April 10, at noon. The rest of the executive team, however, was announced. Sophia Sanders is the newly elected Speaker of the House, Cole Bray won the ballot for Treasurer and Tille Gavitt was elected as secretary. There were 10 candidates up for election for the student government's four executive positions. This year's competition is stiff, especially for Student Body President. Unlike last year, when the only candidate, Hannah Elluru, ran uncontested, four candidates are in the running this year. It is certainly a unique election. Four candidates are running under one platform called “The Quad,” composed of Hanna Sharkov for Student Body President, Sophia Sanders for Speaker of the House, Cole Bray for Treasurer and Tille Gavitt for Secretary. The Quad is running under a shared platform, saying they “aim to enhance community, transparency, and opportunity at Wake Forest.” Besides the run-off, three of ‘The Quad’ have been elected to Student Government. In individual interviews with the Old Gold & Black, each candidate in ‘The Quad’ advocated for permanent QR codes and public forums to encourage constituent feedback. According to their joint Instagram posts, they shared their three collective goals: community, transparency and opportunity. They said they aspire to empower other student organizations, increase communication and improve the future paths of students. A comprehensive account of our endorsements and each candidate's platform pitch and video can be found on wfuogb. com. Student Body President Shakarov and Amaya Williams are the
NEWS DESK paints a new learning space Page Four
candidates in the running for Student Body President. Shakarov is a rising junior with two years of experience in Student Government under her belt — and is one of four candidates running under the combined platform of ‘the Quad,’ as described. Shakarov focused much of her campaign on the inefficiencies within Student Government. “SG’s methodology of addressing student concerns is lengthy and inefficient, relying on students to find a senator, convey their concern — all for the chance that it might be reflected in the next senate session. As a result, constituent concerns slip under the radar, and SG fails in its mission to adequately represent student interests.” Shakrov said in a statement for the Old Gold & Black. In her interview with the Old Gold & Black, Shakarov was confident and laid out clear goals, as outlined in her candidate pitch, which can be found at wfuogb. com. Williams, who the Old Gold & Black endorsed on Tuesday, is a rising senior who has served in Student Government for the last three years. Williams calls her platform G.R.O.W — Grounded leadership, representation, opportunity and wellness. “I view the Student Government elections and campaigning as my opportunity to let the student body know everything that I have planned and am passionate about seeing happen on this campus before it is time for me to graduate,” Williams said in her statement to the Old Gold & Black. In her interview, Williams was passionate and laid out clear goals, again outlined in the platform pitches. Salvatore Cascio, a rising senior who has served on Student Government for three years, and Blake Shore, a rising senior who ran his platform based on not
CITY & STATE Town Hall puts spotlight on Trump Page Six
John Legend concludes the 2024-25 Face to Face season JANE COHEN Contributing Writer
having previous involvement in Student Government, did not garner enough votes to be put in the runoff. At the time of publication, the results of the runoff had not been made publicly available. Speaker of the House Sophia Sanders won the election for Speaker of the House. The Old Gold & Black endorsed Sanders on Tuesday, believing her to be a capable and qualified candidate. Sanders, a rising sophomore, is also part of ‘The Quad’ and ran her campaign on the basis of creating stronger connections and communications across campus. “My campaign is built on a commitment to increasing engagement with the broader Winston-Salem community, improving the academic experience and streamlining communication methods between students, organizations, and Student Government,” Sanders said, in a statement to the Old Gold & Black. Kat Dobrosky, who is also a rising sophomore, was the other candidate running for treasurer.
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To conclude the Face to Face Speaker Forum of the 2024-2025 season, the Wake Forest community welcomed acclaimed musician and EGOT winner John Legend on April 8. Winston-Salem locals, Wake Forest students, Forsyth County high schoolers and college students from across North Carolina gathered in the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (LJVM) to hear Legend speak on everything from judging strategies on “The Voice” to his social activism efforts in combating mass incarceration. Legend was interviewed by broadcast and entertainment journalist Segun Oduolowu, who hosted the Boston Globe Today and has interviewed several celebrities on entertainment, news and sports. Oduolowu shared his excitement about his conversation with Legend. “All of those awards are for a singular human being who also writes fantastic music, is a father and is one of the judges on ‘The Voice,’” Oduolowu said. “From my point of view, it would be a no-brainer to have a face-to-face one-on-one with this incredible figure.” Oduolowu began the conversation by asking how Legend found his voice. “I started singing in the church choir and any opportunity that I would get to sing, I wanted to make the most of it,” Legend said. “With artists that grew up singing in the church, you’ll get told by your pastor and by the folks around you, ‘don’t go singing for the devil. Don’t go singing for the world.’” While the singer received some pushback in pursuing a career in the music industry, Legend praised the moral foundation the church gave him. “You can lose yourself in this business and you do need to be mindful of that, but I think they gave me a good foundation to remember who I was and where I came from,” Legend said. The conversation continued as Oduolowu asked the singer if he always knew he would live up to the stage name of “Legend,” which was initially a nickname given by J. Ivy, an old colleague and friend. Ivy was impressed by Legend’s ability to sing, write and play the piano.
See Election, Page 3
What's Inside
FEATURES Women's club rugby rebuilds Page Nine
APRIL 10, 2025
OPINION Trump should not seek third term Page Fourteen
SPORTS Wellman inducted into Hall of Fame Page Seventeen
See Legend, Page 3
ARTS & CULTURE "The Tempest" opens on Tedford Stage Page Eighteen