Student Body Vice President is more than just a title - it is a full-time job; it is a full-time commitment to a university and to a student body of over 43,000 students. Since my decision to run, I never once looked back. That one decision has truly has been one of the most fruitful and important decisions of my entire college career. Right when that decision had been made, my life had been turned upside down.
My running mate, Joe Blizzard, and I spent countless hours everyday for three months planning, creating, strategizing, and preparing ourselves for the 2.5 weeks of campaigning that was ahead. We built a 30 member campaign team, fund-raised $4,500, collected over 2,000 signatures, and created a sustainable and attainable platform. Although I had been dreading those 2.5 weeks of campaigning, those weeks quickly came to be some of the best weeks of my entire life. I learned more about my university, met thousands of students, and spoke to 100+ student groups, classrooms, events. I also did not sleep nor do much of anything besides campaign, but boy was it worth it!
Hearing our name announced as the next Student Body President and Vice President, in one of the largest victories in university history, was by far my proudest moment at the University of Cincinnati. The best part about that moment was that it was only the beginning. That moment was where it all began. I was elected by my classmates and peers to represent them, and that is exactly what I would do everyday for the duration of my term.
Joe Blizzard and I jumped into the position, ready to go and excited to make a difference. We, along with the rest of Student Government whom we led, accomplished a great deal in just one year! Below, I highlight some of the great accomplishments of the year:
*Wheelchair Accessible NightRide van – Worked tirelessly to fundraise money to purchase a NightRide van that is handicapped accessible, so that all students, regardless of ability, can have a safe ride home.
*NightRide enhancements – Orchestrated the purchasing of three additional NightRide vans in order to satisfy the exponentially increased demand, due to Student Government’s increased marketing. We are now on our way to creating a mobile app to complement the NightRide service.
*Elections Access – Revamped the elections process to increase voter turnout, student engagement, and decrease stress on the campaigners. We shortened the campaign season from 2.5 weeks to 2 weeks, decreased the maximum fundraising amount from $4,500 to $3,000, and made it more accessible to run.
*ElectHer – Planned an event to empower women to run for office, at UC and after graduation. In attendance were over 50 interested students and city councilwomen, state legislatures, and other powerful women from the area.
*Diversity and Inclusion – We worked closely with the Diversity Council, the administration, and many student leaders to ensure that the University of Cincinnati hosts a safe and inclusive environment for all current students, alumni, faculty/staff, and prospective students.
*#GivingTuesday – Planned UC’s first ever all-campus service event. We collected used coats and assembled hygiene packages for the less fortunate. This turned out to be a huge success.
*The Public Safety Strategic Plan – This plan focuses on innovation and accountability around the issue of safety on and off campus. It includes many facets and can be found here: http://besafe.uc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Public-Safety-Strategic-Plan-a.pdf
*Be Smart. Be Safe – From the Public Safety Strategic Plan stemmed the idea of student accountability around their own success. This is why we established the Be Smart Be Safe campaign that reminds students of how to keep themselves safe. We do this through enjoyable medias, such as videos, social media, all-campus contests, posters, and floor stickers.
*CONNECT – Orchestrated an all-women event to encourage women to get involved on campus and to network with campus leaders.
*UC Invents – This is an event on campus that fosters innovation and new ideas. It is an idea competition and the winning teams earn money to implement their idea onto campus.
*Bearcat Transportation System – Readjusted the BTS schedule in order to accommodate more students, specifically the East Campus routes to ensure safety and reliability
*Safe Housing – Partnered with the Cincinnati Fire Department and City Council to create a committee to ensure that student housing is up-to-code both on and off campus. We implemented the first Safe Student Housing Fair, a website where students can check to see which houses are up-to-code, and several Fire Safety events.
*Cheer Cincy – Put on a pep rally during Welcome Weekend to teach all incoming students how to sing the alma mater, cheer to our fight song, and meet some UC athletes and coaches!
*Project Unbreakable – Brought a speaker to campus to discuss a topic that many people refuse to: sexual assault and rape. This opened up discussion all over campus on sexual assault awareness and prevention.
Reading Days – After hearing that many students were upset about UC’s lack of Fall Break, we worked with the administration to implement two Fall Reading Days for students to enjoy a break from classes to get caught up on school work or to recharge after some stressful weeks.
First Directions – Student Government members take it upon themselves to show students around to their classes for the first week of school. We have tables and maps set up all over campus.
Legislative Representation – We supported several bills as a Student Senate both on a local and a state level.
*Battle for the Bat – We planned a student versus faculty/staff baseball game to boost students’ morale and foster relationships between students and faculty/staff.
Student Government sponsored and supported: Cincinnatus’ Nearly Naked Mile, Sigma Phi Fall Ball, Sigma Sigma Carnival, Homecoming Week, Cincinnati Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, Black Girls Rock, UC Sustainability Summit, among many other great events at the University of Cincinnati.
*denotes initiations that I either started, led to completion, or worked very heavily on.
My running mate, Joe Blizzard, and I spent countless hours everyday for three months planning, creating, strategizing, and preparing ourselves for the 2.5 weeks of campaigning that was ahead. We built a 30 member campaign team, fund-raised $4,500, collected over 2,000 signatures, and created a sustainable and attainable platform. Although I had been dreading those 2.5 weeks of campaigning, those weeks quickly came to be some of the best weeks of my entire life. I learned more about my university, met thousands of students, and spoke to 100+ student groups, classrooms, events. I also did not sleep nor do much of anything besides campaign, but boy was it worth it!
Hearing our name announced as the next Student Body President and Vice President, in one of the largest victories in university history, was by far my proudest moment at the University of Cincinnati. The best part about that moment was that it was only the beginning. That moment was where it all began. I was elected by my classmates and peers to represent them, and that is exactly what I would do everyday for the duration of my term.
Joe Blizzard and I jumped into the position, ready to go and excited to make a difference. We, along with the rest of Student Government whom we led, accomplished a great deal in just one year! Below, I highlight some of the great accomplishments of the year:
*Wheelchair Accessible NightRide van – Worked tirelessly to fundraise money to purchase a NightRide van that is handicapped accessible, so that all students, regardless of ability, can have a safe ride home.
*NightRide enhancements – Orchestrated the purchasing of three additional NightRide vans in order to satisfy the exponentially increased demand, due to Student Government’s increased marketing. We are now on our way to creating a mobile app to complement the NightRide service.
*Elections Access – Revamped the elections process to increase voter turnout, student engagement, and decrease stress on the campaigners. We shortened the campaign season from 2.5 weeks to 2 weeks, decreased the maximum fundraising amount from $4,500 to $3,000, and made it more accessible to run.
*ElectHer – Planned an event to empower women to run for office, at UC and after graduation. In attendance were over 50 interested students and city councilwomen, state legislatures, and other powerful women from the area.
*Diversity and Inclusion – We worked closely with the Diversity Council, the administration, and many student leaders to ensure that the University of Cincinnati hosts a safe and inclusive environment for all current students, alumni, faculty/staff, and prospective students.
*#GivingTuesday – Planned UC’s first ever all-campus service event. We collected used coats and assembled hygiene packages for the less fortunate. This turned out to be a huge success.
*The Public Safety Strategic Plan – This plan focuses on innovation and accountability around the issue of safety on and off campus. It includes many facets and can be found here: http://besafe.uc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Public-Safety-Strategic-Plan-a.pdf
*Be Smart. Be Safe – From the Public Safety Strategic Plan stemmed the idea of student accountability around their own success. This is why we established the Be Smart Be Safe campaign that reminds students of how to keep themselves safe. We do this through enjoyable medias, such as videos, social media, all-campus contests, posters, and floor stickers.
*CONNECT – Orchestrated an all-women event to encourage women to get involved on campus and to network with campus leaders.
*UC Invents – This is an event on campus that fosters innovation and new ideas. It is an idea competition and the winning teams earn money to implement their idea onto campus.
*Bearcat Transportation System – Readjusted the BTS schedule in order to accommodate more students, specifically the East Campus routes to ensure safety and reliability
*Safe Housing – Partnered with the Cincinnati Fire Department and City Council to create a committee to ensure that student housing is up-to-code both on and off campus. We implemented the first Safe Student Housing Fair, a website where students can check to see which houses are up-to-code, and several Fire Safety events.
*Cheer Cincy – Put on a pep rally during Welcome Weekend to teach all incoming students how to sing the alma mater, cheer to our fight song, and meet some UC athletes and coaches!
*Project Unbreakable – Brought a speaker to campus to discuss a topic that many people refuse to: sexual assault and rape. This opened up discussion all over campus on sexual assault awareness and prevention.
Reading Days – After hearing that many students were upset about UC’s lack of Fall Break, we worked with the administration to implement two Fall Reading Days for students to enjoy a break from classes to get caught up on school work or to recharge after some stressful weeks.
First Directions – Student Government members take it upon themselves to show students around to their classes for the first week of school. We have tables and maps set up all over campus.
Legislative Representation – We supported several bills as a Student Senate both on a local and a state level.
*Battle for the Bat – We planned a student versus faculty/staff baseball game to boost students’ morale and foster relationships between students and faculty/staff.
Student Government sponsored and supported: Cincinnatus’ Nearly Naked Mile, Sigma Phi Fall Ball, Sigma Sigma Carnival, Homecoming Week, Cincinnati Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, Black Girls Rock, UC Sustainability Summit, among many other great events at the University of Cincinnati.
*denotes initiations that I either started, led to completion, or worked very heavily on.
Be Smart. Be Safe.
http://besafe.uc.edu/ The Be Smart. Be Safe campaign was my idea as a way to remind students that they must remain accountable for their own safety. |
http://collegelifestyles.org/2014/03/campus-president-interview-jaclyn-hyde-from-the-university-of-cincinnati/
An article written about my term as Student Body Vice President. |