Feature image by: TAHINA RAKOTONAHARY
Student government elections were held on February 9th and 10th across Temple University Japan campuses, garnering more than 600 votes; the highest number recorded in the university’s 43-year history. “I’ve been at TUJ for nine years, and I have never seen this participation before,” said Luis Navarro Garcia, a staff member at the Office of Student Services and Engagement (OSSE).
According to a TUJ press release, however, “undergraduate enrollment has nearly tripled” over the past five years. Put simply, student participation still lags at 17% despite the record number of votes.
Madison Taylor Jones and Mia Karlie have been elected as president and vice president, respectively. In hopes of increasing student involvement, the pair will focus on supporting students’ everyday needs. “There’s a big lack of communication between the needs of the students and what the university is willing to provide them. As a student government, it’s our job to bridge that gap,” says Mia.
To make sure goals are met, the pair will focus “on small things that students really need,” says Mia. Among their top priorities are improving university support for student-run clubs, sanitation issues in the parliament, and most importantly, ward office and hospital language support. “You’re going to see small changes in your daily life that help. Even if it’s not the biggest thing first, we want to make sure that you’ll see improvements,” says Madison.
As their first order of business, they introduced two Japanese student cabinet members, Kei Koharazawa and Konon Tonegawa. Madison and Mia aim to incorporate multicultural perspectives to properly advocate for Japanese students’ needs, especially those in the Bridge Program. “There are many times we need to speak Japanese, or maybe have some type of cultural knowledge that we just don’t have,” says Madison.
Langdon Rogers, who served as president during the 2025 to 2026 school year, faced bureaucratic issues with TUJ’s administration, making it feel impossible to implement simple changes. He felt TUJ was “reluctant to make changes” and that they would often reject their ideas altogether.
“Going in, we had a lot of ambitions and a lot of ideas. Hopefully, the next government can really push. I’ve advised Madison and Mia on different ways that they might want to go about making real change this year,” says Langdon.
According to Navarro Garcia, “there has historically been a lack of interest in student government. Students just don’t see the value. On paper, the student government is the voice of the students. OSSE can help them, but at the end of the day, it’s their job, and they are the ones who need to put in the work.”
Many students noted that the lack of interest may be attributed to confusion surrounding the roles of the student government and TUJ Program Board. Navarro Garcia noted that the Program Board recently took over as the student-led event-planning committee, a responsibility that used to be handled by the student government.
As a result of these changes, the student government can now prioritize students’ needs, not just their wants. “The idea here is, they can focus more on what can be improved here at TUJ,” Navarro Garcia said.
Madison and Mia will be running the office until Spring 2027. Inspired by her time studying at the main campus, one of Madison’s motives for being president is to establish more school pride.
“I want students to say I went to Temple University Japan and I had an amazing time.”
Madison Taylor Jones, student government president
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