Meet the 2018 presidential candidates: Brayden O’Brien

Editor’s note: The presidential candidate profiles are part of The Utah Statesman’s annual special elections insert. Click below to see the elections insert in its entirety. 

Experience matters, Brayden O’Brien said, and that’s exactly why he is running to be the Utah State University Student Association president.

“I decided to run because I think that I have the experience, passion and productivity that would make me an effective president,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien is the president of both the Government Relations Council and the USU chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He is also a Huntsman Scholar.

“I think I could give back a lot of the good that I have benefitted from,” O’Brien said.

The main goals O’Brien is interested in pursuing include mental health awareness and prevention of sexual assault on campus.

“I am interested in working on and continuing progress on issues that have been really poignant in years past,” he said.

The student body president is also responsible for sitting on and participating in about 20 different boards and committees, ranging all the way up to the board of trustees of the university.

“I love sitting on boards and committees,” O’Brien said. “I am someone who will be a tireless advocate for students.”

O’Brien has already left a mark on the university in his various leadership roles.

“His fingerprints are on everything,” O’Brien’s friend and roommate Sam Jackson said. “Not only does he put people in the right position to succeed, but he also ensures they can succeed on their own talents.”

Institutional transparency is one of O’Briens other priorities, he said, citing the November 2017 Statesman article concerning the differential tuition advisory board in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

“I want to have more conversations about transparency,” he said.

O’Brien also said he wants to promote exchange and dialogue with people of different backgrounds at USU.

“We have pockets of diversity on campus that are typically organized into tight-knit groups,” he said. “I am really interested in utilizing those communities to work together to stamp out issues at the grassroots level.”

O’Brien knows that USU can sometimes feel like a homogenous community, and diverse students can struggle to fit in.

“I want to make sure that students are aware of the communities on our campus that exist,” he said. I want them to know that they can be apart of these communities, find a home, and feel welcome at Utah State.”

According to Jackson, O’Brien has led the way to positive change as the president of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“I’ve seen a very drastic change in SigEp with Brayden as our president,” Jackson said. “Our weekly meetings are more productive than ever.”

O’Brien also feels that fraternities have a responsibility to keep campus safe and be on the forefront of change.

“Fraternities need to become the front line opponents of sexual assault and advocates of mental health on our campus,” O’Brien said.

Students make the university what it is, and O’Brien feels that acting on their behalf is the most important job of the president.

“I really am running for president for every student at Utah State,” he said. “The purpose of my candidacy is to advocate for students across all levels and ensure the voices of students are heard. I want to proactively act on their behalf.”

When he isn’t organizing an event or leading a meeting, O’Brien is a typical Utah State student.

“I do a lot of reading, Netflix watching, hammocking, hiking, and skiing,” he said.

O’Brien feels that USU has given him many opportunities, and wants to foster a culture that allows future students the same.

“I love the idea that I have the opportunity to create something of value here on campus,” he said. “I think I can do a lot of public work, and I can also do a lot of the behind the scenes advocating.”

On the president’s many committees, O’Brien feels that he would be able to stand up for students, even when it’s hard.

“One of the primary reasons I’m running is because I am a contrarian,” he said. “I will push back whenever I think student voices aren’t being listened to. That is one of my strengths: being a vocal advocate, even when it is difficult.”

— carter.moore@aggiemail.usu.edu

@carterthegrreat