Major: Economics and international business
Year: Junior
What is your class load like for next year and what will your other responsibilities be?
It looks like I’m going to be taking 13-15 credits. It’s not going to be a breeze, because I am double majoring, but it should not be incredibly intense. Other obligations, I have a bunch of random on campus jobs, like in the admissions office or RA and stuff. If I got this, I would probably stop those.
Why are you running for this ASWU position?
I’m running because I really love Whitworth and I’ve had a fantastic time here. I’ve tried to give back in a lot of different ways, like serving the communities and other little things. ASWU seems like a really tangible way to do that. I think there are a lot of positive changes that can be made in ASWU and I’d like to be a part of that .
What do you think is the greatest need of the student body? How do you propose to meet that need?
ASWU is meant to serve the student body, but I think in order for ASWU to really know what the students need, they need to know the students. That’s the whole platform of my campaign and why I’m running. I really want to work on visibility of ASWU. As a freshman and sophomore I had no idea what ASWU did. This year I have been involved with RA, so I have a better glimpse into it. If you don’t really pursue it, you really don’t get an understanding of what it does. What I would like to see happen is to create ASWU that is open, accessible to students and visible, by shrinking gap between ASWU and students by providing more interactions to know students and know what they want.
What are your feelings about transparency in ASWU?
I definitely think there should be a lot of transparency, that’s a pretty obvious thing that I’ve been talking about so far. I feel like the students need to be informed and a lot of my campaign platform is knowing students and getting their opinions on things and being accessible and not just making decisions as the student government, but really going to the students and asking them what they want us to do about it.
I think it’s important having a student body who is informed and know what they’re talking about. I know in the past I have participated in surveys where they give you 30 seconds with option A and option B. You say, “Oh, option A sounds pretty good,” and they say “OK thanks” and walk away. You don’t know any of the story behind that. You don’t know the cost or what you’re giving up or if that could go to other parts of the school.
In that way, I think transparency is really important. You need a really informed student body before you can ask their opinion on things.
Have you looked over the ASWU constitution and bylaws? How familiar are you with them?
No, I don’t know the constitution and bylaws very well. Honestly, I don’t.
The position of president has been acknowledged as one of the most criticized positions on campus. How will you deal with this?
First of all, I do realize the president gets a lot of criticism. I think it’s incredibly important not to pass that criticism on to the people below you. In that regard, you might be a sense of a shield almost. Sometimes you need someone who takes blame on things overall.
What are your weaknesses in terms of the position you’re running for?
I have been involved with ASWU as far as being on the finance committee and stuff and I have been involved with residence life, but I don’t have a ton of directly ASWU experience, which is what I see is my greatest weakness. It’s something I think can overcome. I don’t think that’s a requirement for being president. I know that it’s a lot of hard work. You can learn ins and outs of a position. I don’t think that experience is the sole factor that plays into it.
Why should we vote for you rather than your opponent?
Ian has a ton of experience, which is something I wish I had and that’s awesome. Even without that, I think I bring a lot of relationality to the table. I do believe executives and coordinators should be out in the communities. I think of myself as a very open person, very approachable. I love getting to know people. There is a lot of qualifications behind that. I do believe I am qualified for the position. That approachability and relationality are some of the greatest strengths that I have.
Is there anything else we need to know about you to make this decision?
The counter point to my own confession, despite not having ASWU experience, in that direct position, that doesn’t mean I don’t have experiences outside of ASWU that would be really beneficial to the position.
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