Election to take place for EVP
Applications for executive vice president are available now in the Student Activity Center and will be due Jan. 19.
After some of his fellow senators issued a resolution of impeachment, Aaron Wiessing, the former Student Government executive vice president, offered his resignation during the last senate meeting.
The petition was signed by Holly Henry, James Patton, Rebecca Johnson, John Poshepny, Zach Samples, and Roberto Luna and stated that Wiessing was not doing his job to his full ability.
This resignation was accepted by the Student Senate, which left the office of executive vice president open for the spring semester.
The position, which is right under the student body president in the chain of command, entails maintaining at least a 2.5 GPA, serve on the Board of Trustees, be considered a full-time student, work five weekly office hours and be the student body’s Chief Public Affairs Officer.
“They need to be able to go to Springfield and lobby for (the student body),” Student Body President Michelle Murphy said.
The executive vice president, like all of the other student executive board members, get a 12 credit hour tuition waiver, but they do have to pay their student fees, Murphy said.
“(The executive vice president needs to) not be afraid to talk to strangers,” said Ashley Hoogstraten, the vice president of business affairs. “We do a lot of lobbying at Springfield.”
The lobbying done by the executive vice president is asking state officials for money and you cannot be shy, Hoogstraten said.
The student body constitution states if the student body president is unable to perform his or her duties, then the executive vice president will have to step in and assume his or her duties.
“I would like someone with time on (his or her) hands,” said Murphy, a senior rhetoric and public advocacy major. “It’s a big job and a lot of responsibility.”
They need to have a passion for the students and an interest in making lobbying a priority, said Dan Rolando, the vice president of student affairs.
Murphy will have an executive vice president informational meeting for prospective applicants on Jan. 18.
“It’s something that hasn’t been done before. I wanted to do it so the applicants will know what they are getting into,” she said.
Murphy said the meeting is a way for applicants to know the responsibility of the position before the deadline for the applications.
“We have a diverse group and we need someone to be a leader,” she said.
Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812
