ST. LOUIS _ He gets a few minutes with each presidential candidate Sunday before he speaks before a crowded debate hall, introducing himself and welcoming everyone to Washington University on behalf of the student body.
But come November, he doesn't get to vote.
Kenneth Sng, the president of Washington University's student body, is an international student finishing up his senior year before he heads back to Singapore in May.
"Rightly, I'm not a citizen of this nation so it makes sense," Sng said about not getting to vote. "But in my capacity as (student body) president, I cannot let up on my efforts to increase political engagement on campus. I shouldn't let the fact that I won't be voting stop me from that."
And he hasn't.
Each presidential debate hosted on Washington University's campus provides a new task for the student leaders about maximizing interest. It was the same for now assistant professor Michelle Purdy when she led the student government back in 2000 during the George W. Bush and Al Gore debate. But Sng and his cohorts found a way to boost engagement in a different way.
"We wanted to work from the ground up," he said. "We decided to have a program fund so every student can apply for funding for their programs centered around the debate."
They divvied up a $70,000 allowance among all of the groups and individuals who applied.
That funding went toward events like the debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans a few weeks ago, among other things.
But Sunday night, televised on CSPAN, Sng has to find a way to speak on behalf of all students _ and in his capacity as an international students. He has 60 seconds. No pressure.
"One of those two will be the most powerful person on Earth," he said. "I have to make that time count."
Sng is Washington University's first international student president, so he feels obligated to emphasize the gravity of a presidential election on the world.
"I think a lot of Democratic institutions around the world are being undermined by their own national events and I think the United States from an outsider's perspective we always see the U.S. as the epitome of democracy, the standard bearer," he said. "If America could send a message of renewed confidence in democratic ideals, I think that would mean a lot to a lot of people around the world."
Getting all of that in 60 seconds might be hard, but he's going to try. He's passionate about politics and policy, coming to Washington University on a scholarship from the government in Singapore with plans to go back and work in public policy when he graduates.
Sng is one of 2,700 international students at Washington University, or a group that comprises about 20 percent of the student body. For weeks the university's Office of International Students has been focused on ways to engage international students in a political process in which they can't fully participate.
While he's working on his own ways to engage the entire student population, the campus Office of International Students and Scholars is focused on specific ways to capture the attention of that 20 percent of the student population on an issue that affects them despite their inability to, for example, vote.
Friday afternoon, international students attended a seminar called "Elections 101." That's one of three events planned before the election to help bridge a gap of understanding among the system in the U.S. for these students.
"Because this election includes so much discussion about immigration issues and issues about foreigners in general, a lot of (international students) are very interested in the election," said Martha Turner, director of international advising. "Our students have always been interested during debates, but there's a particularly strong interest this time."
She said the general feeling among the large population is not one of apathy simply because they're not from this country.
Cathy Raymond, assistant director of English Language Programs, is hosting another event later this month on how to talk politics with Americans.
She recalls a forum a few weeks ago, talking with students about the election and promoting her upcoming seminar when one student raised his hand and asked her, "Are you a Democrat or a Republican?"
"It's so much a part of the fabric of our culture of understanding what you can or cannot say or ask, or what might be dangerous to say or ask," Raymond said. "They don't know that."
During her seminar on Oct. 21, Raymond plans to give students language they can use if they're disagreeing that will avoid a confrontation, as well as ways to get out of a difficult situation.
The outreach to international students culminates with a mock election on Nov. 8. The ballot will definitely include the presidential candidates, but could also include statewide Missouri candidates.
"It's important to make them feel like part of the process," Raymond said. "They're here, they're part of the community and it's important that they're part of it."
