Sam Shaw: USUSA Executive VP candidate interview

Our USUSA committee and council settings are often very friendly. How would you handle disagreements and making difficult decisions that may go against your fellow officers? 

I, personally, I’m not a huge fan of conflict right. I want everyone to be comfortable and feel included in their settings. It is a big part of what I am running for. But conflict does arise right, and we are all no stranger to conflict. I feel like the most important part when navigating conflict is that you recognize everyone has valid opinions, valid feelings. Kind of listening to that and affirming that. Recognizing and addressing people’s concerns and why they might be conflicted, but also being firm enough in your own standpoint to say I see where you are, I see where you’re at, here’s where I’m at. And then, if need be, saying how can we find middle ground on this. How can we take both of our viewpoints and make something better and stronger with that.

What is the first goal you would strive to accomplish if elected? 

There’s a lot of things. I think my first goal would be just having an open door policy, if that makes sense. I can elaborate a little bit more. I feel like whenever I’ve tried to go visit an officer or learn more about USUSA, and I know officers are very busy people, I’m not trying to degrade that at all, but it’s always a little hard. I know they have office hours but they are not always there, and again they have very busy lives. But, you know, representing the student body, I would just want to, again, be able to amplify students’ voices to the best of my abilities by listening to them and by spending time with students. And by making that deep connection so that I can hit the ground running and say this is what students are concerned about. Let’s go, let’s put in the work with that and start that by opening up the door to better communicate with students.

If you are not elected, how will you continue to be involved at USU?

I have thought a lot about that too, I mean I am running this campaign and you kind of have to consider all sides of things. Right now I am a peer educator for the office of equities sexual misconduct prevention team. I want to keep doing that. I feel like I have the ability to make a difference with that, and I really do enjoy putting in the work there. But also I have looked at other clubs and committees and ways to get involved. I am an engineering major and there’s programs within the college of engineering that I’ve kind of looked at for next steps if I did lose the election.

What makes you stand out from other candidates? Why should people vote for you?

I’ve been going into this election with kind of the viewpoint of, i’m running for myself to win, and not really against the other person. I mean, my opponent Abe, i’ve worked with him for the last year on the A Team. He’s a great guy, I love him. So I kind of think of my strengths rather than my opponents weaknesses because I don’t like seeing the worst in people. I think what sets me apart is a couple things. My ability to connect with students, and my background. I was born in Denver, I was raised in Seattle, I went to high school in Orem, Utah, and so I kind of have seen these different viewpoints and had to work with different cultures and perspectives and see what it’s like to live in those different locations. From that different background, kind of both of those really set me apart.

Most recent TV show that you binge watched?

I don’t have a ton of time to watch TV shows anymore, which is sad because there’s so many good ones. In my free time, right now my roommates and I are binge watching The Good Place on Netflix. And then we just finished Ted Lasso on Apple TV plus. Both of those are very good shows, I highly recommend.

-Maya.Mackinnon@usu.edu