During orientation week her freshman year, Whitney House first knew she wanted to be a part of SA. At the time, she was only interested in Senate. Now, she is hoping to be elected as President, on the United 4 TU ticket. The ticket is comprised of Lauren Holmes, for Vice President, Grace Doyle for Secretary, and Matt Neyer for Treasurer.
House has served in the Senate and, this past year, was Vice President. This experience, she believes, has given her the knowledge of how to get things done as a member of SA. As a Senator, she was an integral part of changing TU’s non-discrimination policy to include gender identity and sexual orientation.
One of House’s main goals is “transparency between SA and students.” She hopes SA will have a place in Hardesty Hall. There, minutes of previous meetings would be posted, along with a comment board for new student ideas.
And while students may know Cabinet because of Springfest and other events, House believes that Senate has a more negative connotation, as a result of their financial work with organizations.
House hopes to make the funding process easier for organizations.
Lauren Holmes, the VP on House’s ticket, is working on legislation to help “really small and really big organizations.”
This legislation, while still unfinished, would help small organizations who don’t know what attendance levels to events will be by giving their funding a little “wiggle room.” If elected, House hopes to advocate for change such as this.
House also hopes to use the SA budget “more creatively.” She would like to allow Senate committees to have a small budget, so they could hold events to gather student opinions. Organizations could also be invited to share thoughts on making the funding process easier.
Within SA, House would like to revamp the Cabinet.
Currently, executive directors within Cabinet are allowed to have several associate directors. These associate directors may only be in charge of a small task, such as phone calls. House would like to “allow associate directors to work in Cabinet wherever needed.”
On the same note, House would also like to extend the deadline for applications for associate director, to attract a wider pool of students.
One of the more fun things House wants to advocate is a SA-held formal. House believes it would be a “fun way for SA to give back.” This idea came from Grace Doyle, the Secretary on House’s ticket.
