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Printer-Friendly ModeURA elects new executive board
April 9, 2007 —
In the midst of recent University-wide elections, the University Residence Association held internal elections for their executive board.
Over the course of two weeks, URA elected six members to the six board positions.
Freshman Matlynn Jones became the Vice President of Programming (VPP). The VPP is in charge of putting URA-sponsored programs. One of the events that this year's VPP was part of was Casino Night, co-sponsored by URA and Valley Nights.
Mike Kerkau, a junior from Bay City, became the Vice President of Records (VPR). The VPR manages URA's budget and keeps the minutes at the weekly meetings.
In the closest race of the year, Isaac Hudson, a freshman from Flint, became the Executive Vice President (EVP).
The EVP has a variety of duties which include working with hall councils and attending meetings such as Dining Services Open Forums.
"I want to try and promote more involvement in the Food Forums and President's Open Forums," Hudson said. "I think that one of my most important tasks will be my work with the hall councils. I want to be really hands-on with them and would really like to see them look at URA as a resource, not a chore."
Sophomore Shane Williamson was elected president. The president has a number of duties, such as being the voice of the residents and making sure meetings run smoothly.
"My first plan is to actively advocate on behalf of all residences on campus to the administration and Residential Life," Williamson said. "What the students want, what the students pay for is the most important thing."
Williamson also mentioned wanting to work with Student Association and Program Board. A working relationship between SA, Program Board, and URA was a topic of discussion during the recent SA elections.
Williamson became a member of SA during the recent elections and views this position as a way to make sure that URA's voice is heard in SA.
Both Hudson and Williamson spoke about the new representative structure that will be put into effect at the end of this school year.
"I want to encourage student participation in URA," Hudson said. "I think that the new representative structure of URA may be intimidating to students that aren't appointed representatives. I want to insure that students know that they have a voice in URA and that URA is still all about the students."
"With the new constitutional change there is a lot on myself and the executive board's shoulders to create reps that truly do represent their complexes," Williamson said.
"URA is an organization that has the ability to dramatically improve leadership skills and I would like to see more people take advantage of this incredible resource," freshman Caitlin Murphy said.
"I first became involved in URA out of a recommendation this past September, when I was looking to make friends and become more involved on campus," Kerkau said. "URA has been an organization that I have enjoyed being a part of, and as such, it has inspired me to become more involved in the organization."