I gained in a step towards becoming even more politically involved. On this past Thursday night, the 11th, I was confirmed, in a unanimous vote, to the Student Government Association on the Legislative Branch as a Senator representing the College of Professional Studies.
It's a very exciting step, in my opinion at least. When I was being confirmed, the current senators would field questions to the candidates in a way to understand why they should confirm them, much like our supreme court nominations in the senate. I was asked some very good questions.
One of those being: what are the three most important issues to you on campus?
Answer: The way that I see it Wisconsin has always had a very active role in student governments. However, it's time that we take that role further.
One of the huge things that I see, especially on the Stevens Point campus, is that this school is a national leader in the natural resources department, yet we are not a green campus. I would like to see more solar panels and also set up an initiative for this campus to be 50% green by a certain date. At this level it's very possible.
Another thing is creating what I call a new student organization and emergency fund. For those students who are trying to set up new organizations, it is very hard for them to even advertise if they are not funded at all. By creating a fund for these organizations they will at least be able to advertise for their group. This fund can also be cracked into if a club or organization uses their funds to early and runs out. So that they do not become inactive. It is important to make it a goal to get every student involved in some way and this will make it easier on those students attending to that goal.
But another thing that I feel is extremely important is this association's role on campus. We need to be more transparent and more involved. Most of the time the Student Government Association is something that students know nothing about. We need to make sure that we are taking an active role in getting our students involved and that they know about what we are doing.
To this I got a redirect from a Senator Laabs: How will you get these goals achieved?
Answer: Legislation. I've learned that the only way to actually get something achieved is by getting involved and actually meeting with people or in this case writing these bills myself so that they can be brought to the table.
Action is the antidote to despair. I remember a quote by the late Senator Robert Kennedy that read "There are those who look at what they have and ask why, I look at what we could have and ask why not."
It's a very exciting step, in my opinion at least. When I was being confirmed, the current senators would field questions to the candidates in a way to understand why they should confirm them, much like our supreme court nominations in the senate. I was asked some very good questions.
One of those being: what are the three most important issues to you on campus?
Answer: The way that I see it Wisconsin has always had a very active role in student governments. However, it's time that we take that role further.
One of the huge things that I see, especially on the Stevens Point campus, is that this school is a national leader in the natural resources department, yet we are not a green campus. I would like to see more solar panels and also set up an initiative for this campus to be 50% green by a certain date. At this level it's very possible.
Another thing is creating what I call a new student organization and emergency fund. For those students who are trying to set up new organizations, it is very hard for them to even advertise if they are not funded at all. By creating a fund for these organizations they will at least be able to advertise for their group. This fund can also be cracked into if a club or organization uses their funds to early and runs out. So that they do not become inactive. It is important to make it a goal to get every student involved in some way and this will make it easier on those students attending to that goal.
But another thing that I feel is extremely important is this association's role on campus. We need to be more transparent and more involved. Most of the time the Student Government Association is something that students know nothing about. We need to make sure that we are taking an active role in getting our students involved and that they know about what we are doing.
To this I got a redirect from a Senator Laabs: How will you get these goals achieved?
Answer: Legislation. I've learned that the only way to actually get something achieved is by getting involved and actually meeting with people or in this case writing these bills myself so that they can be brought to the table.
Action is the antidote to despair. I remember a quote by the late Senator Robert Kennedy that read "There are those who look at what they have and ask why, I look at what we could have and ask why not."
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