Special elections for Student Body Secretary began late last night, and students will be able to vote at www.smu.edu/elections until noon on Friday. Katherine Tullos, Doug Hill and Rafael Alvarez are running for the position that Drew Washington resigned from on Nov. 2. Because of the time limitations created by the Senate constitution, the campaigning period for this election was considerably shorter than usual. The Daily Campus provided an opportunity for the three candidates to introduce themselves to the student body in the following commentaries.

Rafael Alvarez

I believe I am the best candidate for the position: I am on my third year serving Student Senate. I started as a First-Year Senator, and now I serve as Engineering Senator. I am currently studying engineering management. I have worked hard to start new scholarships at SMU. As a new secretary, I will help with the duties of taking the minutes as well as help in the process of writing the new changes for the Student Code of Conduct. Also, I will continue to represent all students who have asked me before to be represented from all colleges in the university.

A little about my background: I attended Marine Military Academy college prep school, where I became a leader, started as a plebe and graduated three years later as a first lieutenant with the position of platoon commander. I was responsible for 50 cadets to whom I had to instruct military discipline. I worked for Marine Military Academy as a cadet instructor for two summers and I learned to lead by example. I later became a Life Scout and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow. In addition, I volunteered in Eagle Scout projects, as well as served food on the weekends working with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In my spare time, I am currently working on my pilot’s license.

I am recognized for implementing “Rock on the Boulevard” that was designed to encourage SMU students to vote in the presidential elections of 2004. Also, I was the chair of student debate, where the College Republicans and the College Democrats had a chance to debate in a formal manner. My goal was to inform students of the issues and get them to vote.

I am a volunteer at heart. In Camp Spike and Wave summer camp, I was trained to aid campers with epilepsy and helped when they had seizures, and to help them have a great time and teach them more about their epilepsy. I have worked tirelessly to start new engineer groups, including SHPE, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. These national groups now have a student chapter at SMU with the mission of helping students’ development and leadership and promoting new ideas.

As a First-Year Senator and an Engineer Senator I have worked and supported the SMU community, listening to the students and being their voice in Student Senate as their senator. Now, I want to learn about your needs and problems to help solve them as your new Student Body Secretary.

Accomplishments:

MY design and legislation

Revolutionizing legislation in SMU

Rock the Boulevard

Recycling in the boulevard during Tailgating

Suggesting SMU to high quality 30 percent recycled paper

Ramadan Dinner

Internship with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in Washington, D.C. 2004

(News Letter article published, 2004)

Research for Sen. Hutchison conference speeches research

Helped write legislation to recognize the inventor of the heart-pump, Dr. De Bakey, who was awarded with the Senate Gold Medal

Networked with senators and Angelina Jolie, actress and United Nations Good Will Ambassador.

Attended Ronald Reagan’s Funeral.

Katherine Tullos

Hey Mustangs! My name is Katherine Tullos and I am running for Student Body Secretary. I am so proud of being a student here at SMU, and I would love the opportunity to represent my fellow Mustangs’ interests in Student Senate.

This past year, I have served as the Organizations Chair for Student Senate. Throughout this semester, I have developed close relationships with many student organizations on campus. I believe that student organizations are the foundation of student life and I have worked to ensure that they continue to have a lasting legacy here at SMU. I have also worked with numerous students to help develop and charter student organizations that meet the changing and diverse interests of all SMU students.

This year has also given me the opportunity to learn about Student Senate and understand our role in campus life. I hold a vision of Student Senate working tirelessly to represent the varied interests and issues of students in the future. I am fully dedicated to this organization and I look forward to working to improve and support Student Senate in my time here at SMU.How many of you know about the funding Senate recently passed for a civil rights pilgrimage or the chartering of the many new organizations such as Men with Integrity? As Student Body Secretary, I would like to open the door of communication between Senate and you, the students here on campus. I would like the minutes from our meetings, current legislation and upcoming issues in Senate to be posted online so that all students may access this information. It would be also beneficial for all of us to have a monthly newsletter sent out regarding the current issues in Student Senate. This is Student Senate and we are representing the interests of you, the students here on campus. Furthermore, I would like to extend an invitation to more students to come to our weekly meetings, and in return, I would like to make the information from Student Senate more available to everyone. As Student Body Secretary, I would also work to improve the process of review and revision of the SMU Student Code of Conduct by helping students be more aware of how to submit changes and the process as a whole. Together, we can work to ensure that students’ interests are represented in Senate and that events in Senate are communicated to the entire student body.

I believe in SMU and Student Senate’s continuous improvement in the future. I offer continuous dedication, diligence and dependability to this position in order to represent our entire university community. Please remember to vote today at www.smu.edu/elections Pony Up!

Doug Hill

Hill declined the opportunity to submit a commentary.