Stud Co. Exec. Vice President
Todd Eley
CLAS III
Major: Economics and Government
Hometown: Smithfield, Va.
Activities, positions, associations:
Student Council Legislative Affairs Committee and Presidential Debate Initiative
Arts & Sciences Council
First-Year Council Parliamentarian
VCU Capital Semester Program 2006
Current office/position:
Co-Chair, Student Council Legislative Affairs Committee; Ombudsman and Economics Department Representative, Arts & Sciences Council
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
The constitutional responsibilities of the executive vice president currently are to manage meetings of the Council's representative body, record votes and to assist the president in the oversight and management of Council's committees. From my experience as co-chair of the Legislative Affairs Committee, ombudsman of ASC, and FYC Parliamentarian, I know how to manage meetings effectively and impartially and ensuring the Constitution and the bylaws are enforced. As a committee chair, I know how much support committee chairs need to be effective in solving problems faced by students and I will do everything in my power as executive vice president to see that they get that support from Council.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
Council Representatives are not getting input from the student body and other organizations as much as they should be. I will enhance the new representative office hours by requiring representatives to attend meetings of their school councils on a monthly basis and do more to reach out to other organizations on Grounds. I will also hold a meeting each semester of Council in a more accessible venue that is solely dedicated to allowing student organizations to express their concerns to all of Council.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
I organized the first-ever "U.Va. Day" at the Virginia General Assembly, when the Legislative Affairs Committee took students to meet their legislators and Gov. Kaine and hear about higher education issues. I helped to produce a comprehensive legislative agenda that Student Council has adopted and will use as a basis for determining Student Council's new "Legislator of the Year" award. I also have worked to improve the constitutions and bylaws of both First-Year Council and Arts & Sciences Council; the amendment to ASC's constitution that is on the ballot is largely my work.
Ryan Taylor
CLAS III
Major: Foreign Affairs (East Asia Concentration)
Hometown: Fredericksburg, Va.
Activities, positions, associations:
Safety and Wellness Committee (Member)
Current office/position:
Student Council Arts and Sciences Representative
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
The executive vice president of Student Council is charged with the task of overseeing the 28 elected representatives and running the Tuesday night Student Council meetings. My qualifications include being a two-term elected representative from both the Engineering School and the College, serving as a member for two years on the Student Council Safety and Wellness Committee and serving one semester on the Ad Hoc Committee to Address Acts of Intolerance. My experience on the representative body gives me a thorough knowledge of the "ins-and-outs" of running the meetings and in working with the representatives.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
One of the biggest challenges Council faces is establishing a strong legitimacy in the eyes of the student body. As executive vice president, I would require representatives to follow up on the projects they initiate by requiring they report bi-weekly on the progress of implementing passed legislation. Furthermore, any representative not presently working on a project would be encouraged work on another representative's project. Finally, I would ask that representatives not only select a committee to work on, but also select a CIO to report to for added perspective on what is occurring in the University community. These measures are intended to encourage representatives to follow up on their ideas and to directly represent some of their constituents.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
Most recently, I've been working on establishing a system of neighborhood watches in neighborhoods that house the vast majority of University students living off-Grounds. I am also presently working on (re)establishing a student-run safety escort.
Melissa Warnke
CLAS II
Major: Foreign Affairs and Anthropology
Hometown: Lakeville, CT
Activities, positions and associations:
Student Council, Development Major Committee
Madison House
Current Office/Position:
College of Arts and Sciences Representative [Transfer Student Liaison]
Student Life Committee Member
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
The executive vice president is responsible for organizing and running Student Council meetings and assisting the representative body with its particular projects. I am qualified to fulfill these responsibilities because I have served as a representative all year, attending both parts of the meeting, and am deeply familiar with the way in which Council works. I am extremely open-minded and passionate about improving the day-to-day life of students at this school.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
My main priority as EVP would be to increase communication between Council and the other clubs and groups at this university. It is difficult to represent students without a working knowledge of and active relationship with the different organizations that are such a significant part of their lives. I will create a system in which any organization interested in speaking with Council members can sign up for a meeting online. This would break the barrier of formality that keeps many students from interacting with Council in the first place. To ensure that Council follows up on these meetings, we will send periodic updates to each group about how we are addressing the issues or suggestions they brought to us.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
The most positive contribution I have made to the University community is that, throughout this year, I have taken everything I've seen and heard around campus to heart and worked hard to address it. For example, after the student attacks on Grounds this spring, I met with Council members to start a service for student volunteers to walk others home any night of the week. We are presently locating funds and recruiting members to get the service up and running. It has been a great joy for me to be able to work with and for the student body at U.Va., and would be my great honor to continue to as EVP.
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