VP of House

Bill Morrison
junior broadcast journalism major

What are your goals if elected Student Government Association Vice President of House?
My main goal as House VP is to get House more involved with the community. With increased involvement we will be able to reach students who are typically not involved in campus activities.

What are your qualifications to serve as SGA Vice President of House?
I have had many leadership activities including Operational Coordinator at AMC, Maintenance Manage at Burlington Coat Factory, Bar trainer at Tony Roma's, LEAPS Group Leader and Frog Camp Facilitator. In addition to my leadership qualities I also have good people skills and have been involved with many facets of life on campus.

What is the No. 1 issue you think the House should take up next year, and what is your suggestion for how the House should solve that issue?
The most important issue is to get more students involved with campus activities. The way to accomplish this is by making more funding available to student organizations. The organizations will be able to use the additional money to fund more events on campus. The more there is for students to do on campus, the easier it will be to get more students involved.

What is the one unique thing you have done as a student at TCU that sets you apart from other students?
During my time here at TCU I have made a point of benign involved with the university. After I got back from frog camp I knew that this university was great and I wanted to be a part of it. I started by benign in the Chancellors Leadership Program, then did LEAPS, wrote for the skiff, became a frog camp facilitator, joined the FIJI fraternity and got involved with SGA.


Do you support the proposed SGA fee increase? Why or why not?
To prevent funds from being unused, all SGA has to do is communicate more with the student body. Most students are unaware that SGA has funding set aside for helping student organizations. If more student know they can come to SGA for financial help then I do not foresee there being a problem with left-over funds.

What, if anything, needs to be changed about how the House operates?
One improvement that House needs, is to let the students know what they are doing. If you ask almost any student what SGA has done, odds are they couldn't give you an answer. I believe that there should be a weekly e-mail sent out to students so they know how there money is being spent and what issues are being discussed.

The vice president often works in the shadow of the president. What is it about this office that made you want to run?
I chose to run for House VP, because the house is where student are most represented. It is in the House where bills and resolutions that effect students are passed and it is in there House where I believe I can accomplish the most.

What can SGA do to create more flexibility in the budget to prevent left-over funds?
I am in favor of the proposed fee increase, because in my opinion it is in the best interest of the student body. I know no one likes to pay more money, but it is money that is needed. Over the years, cost of programming and bringing speakers to campus have risen, but SGA’s funding has not. Even with the fee increase students will still be paying almost half as much as other colleges.

Katie Gordon
senior electrical engineering major

What are your goals if elected Student Government Association Vice President of House?
1.Communicate with and represent students more effectively
2.Seek parking solutions through a campus wide shuttle service.
3. Improve student advising
4.Take an active role in athletic teams support
5.Implement a campus wide recycling program
6. Support the formation of TCU traditions promoting unity
7.Further efforts to instigate a student proposed honor code
8. Support Student Center renovations
9.Aid in the formation of a campus mentors program

What are your qualifications to serve as SGA Vice President of House?
I have served in the House of Reps. for three semesters, one semester as a representative and two semesters as the chair of Academic Affairs. Throughout my time in the House I have worked on numerous House initiatives including establishing an honor code, communicating between students and faculty throughout the formation of a new core curriculum, and currently participating in bringing a Model U.N. program to campus.

What is the No. 1 issue you think the House should take up next year, and what is your suggestion for how the House should solve that issue?
The first priority of the House is to communicate with and represent students. If we aren't communicating with them, we aren't representing them. As V.P., my most important job would be to see that communication and representation of students is done effectively and efficiently. I propose to do this through a consistent newsletter, a highly visible avenue for receiving student feedback, and a restructuring of the representation to include representatives from each college on campus.

What is the one unique thing you have done as a student at TCU that sets you apart from other students?
Very few people attempt to tackle an engineering degree while remaining active and involved on campus. I don’t know if that makes me special or crazy! My TCU experience has been unique in that I have had the opportunity to lead in a technical setting in Engineering Senior Design and have leadership roles in very different avenues such as Transfer connections and the House. This has given me a very diverse perspective as a whole.

Do you support the proposed SGA fee increase? Why or why not?
I sense that students, for the most part, feel that they don’t see many results from House’s aprox. $80,000 budget. I think that SGA should do fewer things better. Concentrate the funds on quality not quantity of projects. Also, better advertisement of the opportunity campus organizations have to request funding for campus events is another way to use the funds for what students need.

What, if anything, needs to be changed about how the House operates?
There needs to be better upper class representation. Typically, the House is primarily composed of first and second year students. Students who are in their third and fourth years at TCU have valuable experience and legitimate needs and concerns. As it is, their voice is not heard as strongly as it could be in the House. They need to feel like House is an effective resource for addressing their concerns.

How do you define your leadership style?
I am vision driven. I see the large picture and then work the details. I am best when evaluating the long-term direction and delegating the specific steps to achieving that goal. I also believe that a leader is made strong by the people he/she surrounds himself with.

The vice president often works in the shadow of the president. What is it about this office that made you want to run?
I am attracted to the practicality of this job. The president is called upon to spread him or herself very thin and champion a broad range of projects and issues. I believe so much in the importance of the fundamental goal of communication and representation through the House that I welcome the chance to be in a position in which I can make that my number one priority.

What can SGA do to create more flexibility in the budget to prevent left-over funds?
Yes, I think it is very fiscally sound and reasonable that as the cost of programming and operating has increased with standard inflation, fees should increase as well. We have not had a fee increase as long as any body can remember and we currently pay much lower student fees than most other schools. The cost of running SGA has gone up so monetary support must increase.

Andrea Reed
Senior business management and social work major

What are your goals if elected Student Government Association Vice President of House?
I want to create a House that students can believe in, know they are represented, and feel that House is benefiting them. In fact, I have been researching other student governments across the country to consider ways that House might be restructured. Other goals include using ID cards for concessions during athletic events, a safer campus, an extra bus for Worth Hills, a January term for students, improving the mentor program and improving Froggie 5-0.

What are your qualifications to serve as SGA Vice President of House?
I have been involved in many campus leadership positions and have served various positions in House. I am currently the University Affairs Chairwoman.Furthermore, I consider myself to have good managerial skills and a talent for creative problem solving. Most importantly, I LOVE TCU and I’m passionate about this school. This is why I care so much about SGA and why I want to be your Vice President.

What is the No. 1 issue you think the House should take up next year, and what is your suggestion for how the House should solve that issue?
Students should feel that they are represented in House and benefited by House. The No. 1 issue is that this is not happening! One possible resolution to this problem is to restructure the way that the student body is represented in House. I also would like to see House gather ideas from every student organization. Another suggestion is to make sure representatives are in touch with their constituents- do you know who your representative is?

What is the one unique thing you have done as a student at TCU that sets you apart from other students?
Last semester, I circumnavigated the globe aboard Semester at Sea and explored ten countries along the way. I was exposed to different cultures and diverse people groups and I was constantly accepting and overcoming many challenges. Through this experience, I have become an advocate for diversity and I am able to think outside of my cultural and personal boundaries, which allows me to understand the world around in me in new and unique ways.

Do you support the proposed SGA fee increase? Why or why not?
It seems that the budget could be restructured in a way that would allow the maximum amount of money to be given to student organizations. Perhaps there could be a smaller general pool of money available to support House projects, and the rest could be allocated to support student organizations, with some flexibility between the two. Every committee does not use their money every semester, so why not give that surplus back to the students.

What, if anything, needs to be changed about how the House operates?
I would like to see House restructured in a way that would more accurately represent the entire student body. I have been researching other student governments across the country to come with ideas about how this could be done. One possibility would be to add representation from academic schools. I would also consider bringing in outside help to make these changes, and I have already located a consultant who specializes in helping student governments.

How do you define your leadership style?
I see myself as a leader who is people-oriented, motivational, and yet laid back and understanding. I am a very good listener and I am very good about analyzing the big picture. This “big picture” orientation makes me a visionary leader that is not afraid to accept challenges and implement change. I view leadership not as a position, but as a passion.

The vice president often works in the shadow of the president. What is it about this office that made you want to run?
I don’t think that the vice president works “in the shadow” of the president. I think that the two offices have more of a collaborative, advisory relationship. That being said, I want to be House Vice President because I want to see some big changes, and I am more than willing to accept that challenge. I want students to see what House is doing for them, and feel like House is doing its job.

What can SGA do to create more flexibility in the budget to prevent left-over funds?
The reason that I support the SGA fee increase is purely because inflation has increased to a point that in order to bring quality programming to TCU, and to financially support student organization conferences and events, more money is needed. It is important for students to understand that the extra money they will be paying into SGA will be flowing right back out of SGA to improve the TCU experience for all students.

Rodney Thomas
sophomore religion major

What are your goals if elected Student Government Association Vice President of House?
My goals as VP House are to ensure that SGA has better communication with graduate students, nontraditional, and transfer students. I do not support the raising of student fees. From my experience, I believe that more of the the students' fees should go toward campus wide projects. I would also encourage more represenatives to join in on debates.

What are your qualifications to serve as SGA Vice President of House?
My qualifications for VP House: I am a good listener. I give 110% in everything I do. I am willing to speak my mind on particular issues. I am open to different opinions other my own. I am very creative and have alot of ideas for improving life at TCU.

What is the No. 1 issue you think the House should take up next year, and what is your suggestion for how the House should solve that issue?
The number 1 issue the university needs to address is making TCU prestigious academically. I plan to advocate my 3-point plan. 1st- I want to oversee the development of an honors court; 2nd- I want to help start a model UN team here at TCU by working with various student organizations; 3rd- I want a campus wide referendum for permission to use student fees to support a TCU academic/debate team.

What is the one unique thing you have done as a student at TCU that sets you apart from other students?
As individuals, I believe that we are all born unique for a specific purpose in life. I believe coming to TCU as a freshman and adapting the new environment as fast as I did makes me unique.

What, if anything, needs to be changed about how the House operates?
The House needs more participation from represenatives. I noticed that during meetings and debates there were a select group of people who chose to speak up or ask questions. I also want to change the first come, first serve policy. It is not fair that the same groups receive funding every other semester. The policy should be need-based, requiring every organization that estimates that it will need student money to give us their budget

How do you define your leadership style?
I have more of a participatory/democratic approach to leadership. I want to get as many people involved as possible. I also would rather ask for my constituents' opinions before I make a decision.

The vice president often works in the shadow of the president. What is it about this office that made you want to run?
I wanted to run because I want to make a difference at TCU and I want to work for what the student body (traditional, Greek, nontraditional, graduate, and transfer)

What can SGA do to create more flexibility in the budget to prevent left-over funds?
SGA can prevent leftover funds by sponsoring activities such as athletic booosters before an event or creating a new standing committee altogether for either raising school spirit or a committee designated to fund a student ran organizion dedicated to achieve TCU goals such as leadership and diversity.