Three Candidates Compete for EC Presidency
Three Candidates Compete for EC Presidency
By the end of today, John Beekman Youngblood ‘27, Stepan Onyschuk ‘27, or Zane Openshaw ‘27L will be President-Elect of the Executive Committee.
(The White Book, the governing document of W&L’s Honor System. | SOURCE: The Spectator)
This year, three candidates - John Beekman Youngblood ‘27, Stepan Onyshchuk ‘27, and Zane Openshaw ‘27L - are vying to become President of the Executive Committee. Youngblood served with Onyshchuk as a representative for the Class of 2027 last year and is currently Vice President of the body. Openshaw currently serves as the Class of 2027 Law representative. From 8 AM to 8 PM, all W&L students can vote in the student body elections via Canvas.
During a candidate forum on March 31, all candidates for President said that they supported the Single Sanction, a policy which removes students for any violation of the community's trust. Approximately 40% of the respondents reported an unfavorable view of the Single Sanction.
In their speeches, all candidates spoke positively of the Honor System, while acknowledging recent issues. A poll recently conducted by The Spectator indicated that just over one-quarter of respondents feel mildly or extremely negative about the current Honor System at Washington and Lee University. Another 12.5% were neutral.
During the candidate forum, Youngblood actively campaigned for reforming the Honor System, stating that “we desperately need more support and more people who truly care about this system.” He advocated for “reunification” with the law school, improved relations with faculty, and more transparency for students. Youngblood placed Honor System reform at the front and center of his campaign.
Besides his Honor System plans, Youngblood seeks to convince students to vote for him due to his achievements as VP of the Executive Committee. He highlighted his management of the $800,000 budget for student organizations and the impending release of a new student organization management software. He also pointed to his ability to secure funds, saying he “successfully petitioned the business office to earn more than $200,000 dollars in excess funds to distribute to student organizations over the next few years.”. Finally, Youngblood remarked on his involvement in Chi Psi Fraternity, the Interfraternity Council, Kathekon, and his upcoming summer training at the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School.
Openshaw ‘27L also focused his campaign on the Honor System issue. He argued that “the issues we face today aren’t new” and proposed creating a “system that organizes students to hold each other accountable.” He also hopes to “increase transparency in hearings” and “adjust the procedure of open hearings to allow the student body to vote on their views.”
In a November 2025 interview with The Spectator, Openshaw stated that law students “are sensitive to issues that might not be as obvious to our undergraduate colleagues.” This, Openshaw continued, “is manifested in evidentiary standards, witness questioning and when to apply the burden of proof.”
Openshaw added that “I am in favor of an effective Honor System.” “With sufficient buy-in,” according to Openshaw, “the single sanction could be very effective. I think in a codified system, the single sanction would receive more buy-in.” Explaining his motivation to run for EC president, Openshaw, who is married with three children, said he would like “if my boys remembered me as an honest man.”
While Onyshchuk asserted that “the erosion of the Honor System is [...] a big fault,” he diverged from the other candidates’ near-total focus on the Honor System. He emphasized his proposal to “fix” the EC, accusing the group of being “more scared of the administration than of the students.”
Onyshchuk promised to leverage the EC’s influence to advocate for using the university’s $2 billion endowment to provide free airport shuttles for all students and inflation-adjusted wages for work-study positions. “I’m the only candidate who promises any meaningful change,” Onyshchuk told The Spectator. “I would push the W&L administration to better align its resources with students’ real experiences,” he added. In additional comments to the Spectator, he summarized his campaign in three words: transparency, results, and courage.
Onyshchuk is also a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, and highlighted his background as an international student fleeing the war in Ukraine. “I lived in two active warzones,” he stated, “and seeing death and suffering of the people closest to me shaped my understanding of leadership.” According to Onyshchuk, he would be the first-ever international president of the EC.
The presidential race is not the only election happening today. Other campus wide contests include Vice President of the EC (Yoong Wen Chong ‘28 vs. Emmie Amason ‘27), Secretary of the EC (Majo Perez ‘27, unopposed), Student Judicial Council Chair (Rebecca Vaught ‘27, unopposed), and SJC Secretary (Malachi Zarahn ‘28, unopposed.) Elections for class representatives on the SJC and EC are also taking place.