Election winners explain next steps
Although elections week is over, the work for the recently elected ASUSU officials isn’t. They now must become acquainted with their duties and the people that they will be working with this next year.
For Christian Thrapp, recently elected ASUSU president, that means working alongside the current president, Erik Mikkelson, attending several meetings so the people who will be working with him can get to know him and they can address important issues for the 2012-13 school year.
“They basically just threw me into the fire,” Thrapp said. “The day after I was elected, I had a meeting about the ARC with the vice president of Student Services. Then I had a meeting with the Board of Trustees and that night I had the opportunity to go to the Founder’s Day Celebration. I learned a lot that day.”
Since the Aggie Recreation Center proposal was approved by a 134-vote margin, planning for the center has become a part of Thrapp’s duties for next year.
Thrapp said his duties on various committees will include ensuring students provide input on the ARC, as well as soliciting private donations to help pay for the building.
In the upcoming weeks the biggest thing he has to do is to appoint the Public Relations Director and the Administrative Assistant, Thrapp said.
Jordan Hunt, the new Academic Senate president, said he will be working with Thrapp to interview candidates and fill the positions.
Hunt said since he’s only been elected as Academic Senate president and hasn’t been inaugurated yet, he hasn’t done very much as an officer.
“Inauguration happens in April,” Hunt said, “so I haven’t done anything. We’ve organized training, interviews for appointed positions and other administrative tasks.”
All of the recently elected officials will be working closely with the current ASUSU Executive Council to learn about their duties firsthand.
Ben Wilson, who was elected Executive vice president, said he will be “shadowing” Kirsten Frank and attending some of her meetings with her. The main meeting is the Executive Council meeting, which happens every Tuesday 8-10 p.m. on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center with the entire council, which, until inauguration day, will include the present and future council members.
Christian Orr, recently elected as Student Advocate, will be doing the same.
“During the next few weeks I will be mentored by Jason Russell, the current Student Advocate, to learn all sides of this position,” Orr said. “I look forward to working with the new executive board and feel supported by the current one.”
Orr has begun making other preparations as well.
“I have been involved with the Student Fee Board this year. I have begun to prepare some resources that will help students understand where their fees go. I have also been in contact with a few offices of college deans to dialogue reorganization of the ombudsmen system,” Orr said.
Karson Kalian, recently elected Athletics vice president, will do things in addition to shadowing Ryan Baylis, current Athletics vice president.
“Since being elected, I have had to start planning out some committees which need forming and what to do with each one,” Kalian said. “The Athletics and Campus Rec committee, also known as the Hurd committee, and, with the passing of the ARC, the planning of a student policy board to set the policies for the ARC.”
“There is also the design for the game day shirt that needs to be taken care of, as well as plans for the spring football game on April 28,” Kalian said.
Candidates who ran and did not win this year are making other plans.
Adam Vail, one of the ASUSU president hopefuls, said he plans on running again next year.
“That doesn’t mean that I stop because something I tried didn’t pan out the way that I thought that it would,” Vail said. “There’s other opportunities available, other avenues to explore between now and then and if this time next year, there’s nothing that has leaned me in another direction, I would anticipate running again and seeing what’s in store.”
Vail said he was optimistic about his chances of winning.
“I was very confident. But you know, sometimes things happen that cause you to reevaluate and just maybe focus a little more on your current situation,” Vail said.
The day after the election results were announced, Thrapp said he didn’t feel like it was real yet.
“I don’t think it has actually hit me completely yet,” Thrapp said.
Of his reaction to the elections, Hunt said, “It’s a huge relief now that elections are over, but it’s a little daunting to think about the work before me.”
Orr said he is preparing to address student concerns.
“As the new officers prepare,” Orr said, “I hope that students take their concerns seriously enough that they are prepared to take part in creating improvements. The Associated Students of Utah State University is more than an Executive Board and Academic Senate. As students, we’re all in this together.”
– juliann13stock@aggiemail.usu.edu