By Jonathan Lane
Becoming a Student Body Officer is fundamentally based on qualification. At SMU, my actions, activities and honors have outwardly proven me more than qualified to serve you as Student Body Vice President.
I am academically qualified, as the President’s Scholarship that brought me here is the highest awarded to an undergraduate student. In fact, I was valedictorian of my graduating class, president of an honor society and captain of the swim team – all of which taught me a lot about leadership, cooperation and determination.
I am experientially qualified, to the extent that I am the only VP candidate who has served the Student Body as a senator. This opportunity gives me the experience necessary for being the Vice President – one of a senator’s primary obligations is to write legislation on behalf of his/her constituents, and one of the VP’s primary obligations is to “assist . . . in overseeing the execution of all bills”; hence, a VP candidate without legislative experience is hardly capable of serving all of his or her responsibilities.
I am qualified in terms of leadership, since I rallied enough support early in my college career to represent the all first-years as a senator and soon after worked my way through the prestigious Emerging Leaders program.
Finally, I am ready to make changes. Passive participation policies, the condescending stigma placed on Greek organizations and especially the fact that everyone has concerns, yet nothing ever seems to get done about them – all of these are outdated policies that call for immediate change. When it comes time to vote, choose someone who is not afraid to confront the administration on important issues. Choose someone you know will stop at nothing to get policy changed and make SMU a better place to be. Choose to Live Life in the Fast Lane – Vote Jonathan Lane for Student Body Vice President!
Jonathan Lane is a first-year economics major. He may be contacted at [email protected].
By Willie Stewart
My name is Willie Stewart and I hope to be your Student Body Vice President. Before talking about issues, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I am a junior economics major from Lexington, Ky. I am a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, which I have been very involved in during my three years at SMU. I am proud to be a Mustang, and, if elected, I will serve you with both dedication and integrity.
The Greek system at SMU is a vital part of campus life. Not only are over 2,000 students members, but these students are supporting and representing SMU in many charitable ways in our community. Furthermore, I believe we should give the Greeks of SMU more opportunities to be involved with student government.
I believe we should have appointed members of IFC and Panhellenic houses sitting in the Senate. This will help the fraternities and sororities better communicate with the student government regarding their issues and needs.
I would also like to explore the notion of a campus pub. Our campus is dry and I want to assure you that I am not proposing that we overturn the policies of the administration. I am suggesting a campus pub similar to those found on many elite campuses around the country (Harvard, Colby, Yale, etc.). It would be a controlled environment operated by the university and would be available to parents, alumni and guests of the university. It would also provide a safe alternative for those students of legal age.
When you go to vote on Feb. 22 and 23, think what each candidate will do for you and our school. I promise to do everything I can to listen to you and to help make improvements that will not only help our university at large, but will help to improve your own college experience as well.
Willie Stewart is a junior economics major. He may be contacted at [email protected].
By Katherine Tullos
Hey Mustangs! My name is Katherine Tullos and I am running for Student Body Vice President. It has been my honor to serve you as Student Body Secretary and I would love to continue to represent my fellow Mustangs’ interests in Student Senate.
As Secretary, I have worked to open the lines of communication between the Senate and the Student Body and I would like to continue this next year.
Currently, I am working on a newsletter that can be sent out to all students, which would allow you to know about the important issues that are being addressed in Senate. I would also work to improve the relationship that students have with their senators through Senate Meet and Greets for each school.
As Student Body Vice President, I will strengthen our committees in Senate through increased participation from general members and more interaction between the senators and their committees. Our nine committees, ranging from finance to environment, provide the foundation for our organization as a whole and we need to efficiently utilize our committees in order to make the greatest impact on our campus.
Next year, I will also encourage positive legislation and resolutions that will address the issues and concerns of the diverse interests of all SMU students. I would like to work with the administration, faculty and staff to address the student concern about campus security by improving the program Giddy-Up to ensure that all students are safe at night on campus.
Together as a Senate and a Student Body, we can make great things happen for our campus. I have two years experience with Student Senate and I offer dedication, diligence and dependability to this position in order to represent our entire university community. Vote KT for VP. Pony Up!
Katherine Tullos is a sophomore political science major. She may be contacted at [email protected].
