House, PC to begin year with new leader, representatives
Brad Thompson becomes vice president of Programming Council after former vice president Stephanie Zimmer leaves TCU.
By Emily Turner
Staff Reporter

Brad Thompson is scheduled to be sworn in at the first House of Student Representatives meeting on Tuesday as the vice president of Programming Council, said Student Government Association President Chelsea Hudson.

Hudson said Thompson is taking over the remainder of Stephanie Zimmer’s term until formal elections occur in November for next year’s SGA positions.

“The swearing in is a way to present Brad’s new position to the student body,” Hudson said. “Technically, he already has the position.”

Thompson, a junior radio-TV-film major, said he took on the position’s duties after Zimmer, a junior marketing major, called him two weeks before school started to tell him she would not be coming back to TCU.

“I knew she was thinking about going home,” Thompson said. “I just had no idea it would be so sudden. I know Stephanie felt comfortable leaving the position to me. She knew I could handle it.”

Zimmer said she was in Fort Worth this summer working as an Orientation Student Assistant and taking classes at Tarrant County Community College before deciding to go home for a semester for financial reasons. Zimmer is attending the University of New Orleans and plans to re-enroll in classes in January.

“I knew Brad could handle my position,” Zimmer said. “He had worked beside me for an entire semester and he knew the way things needed to be done.”

Thompson said he has a number of goals he would like to see PC accomplish by the end of the semester. Among his goals is keeping PC connected with other groups on campus, he said.

“I want to change the closed-off atmosphere of Programming Council,” Thompson said. “I would like to help groups take advantage of all the resources TCU has to offer.”

SGA advisor Larry Markley said according to PC’s bylaws, director of programming takes the position of vice president in cases of emergency.

Markley said Zimmer left Thompson with a lot of responsibility, including Howdy Week.

“He had to move quickly, because everything was rolling fast,” Markley said.

Zimmer said she realizes Thompson gained a lot of responsibility in a short amount of time. However, she said she has heard positive feedback about Thompson’s leadership during Howdy Week and is confident he will handle his new position well.

Thompson said being director of programming prepared him for the unexpected change in positions. He also said through his experience as a chairman and other campus involvement, he is confident to begin the semester as vice president.

“I want to make the campus better for students,” Thompson said. “I like seeing people enjoy things I help to create. It makes all of my work worthwhile.”