Speakin with President Powers
Mary Tetzlaff
Issue date: 11/25/08 Section: Feature
Mary Powers is a senior history major who is currently finishing her thesis on the history of Irish Dance, who loves Irish music and coffee, and who can often be found at the Cap Bar. She is also the President of Student Government and Student Programming at the University of Dallas.
The University News took this opportunity to sit down with Powers, to get her story, her vision of the University and her plans for the future.
UN: Have long have you been involved in SG?
MP: I've been involved since freshman year. For the first two years, I was a senator and I was also helping out on difference SPUD committees. Last year I was the Vice President of the Senate and I was on the executive council. Each year you have more responsibility and I think there's a big jump just from being a senator to being on the executive council because you have to be more concerned with managerial tasks than getting involved in activities and running activities-it's more managing.
And it was especially a huge jump to go from Vice President of the Senate and dealing with senators every day. As president you deal with a lot of administrative things and you're in a lot of meetings all day and sending e-mails and keeping in touch with people. It's different as you move up, but it's fun at the same time.
UN: How do you feel your presidency has gone so far?
MP: I think it has gone pretty well so far. We've been doing a lot of work in SG this semester. SG has been doing well. SG is composed of two different branches. There's the SPUD branch and [SPUD's] vice-president this year is Lauren Harkins-and she's been absolutely amazing-and all the SPUD chairs have been great. I feel, at least, that all the SPUD activities have gone well and have enjoyed a lot of participation. I think this year has been absolutely amazing with student participation. And I just think that has been great. Really, though, unless students get involved on campus with the events and activities, student government can't properly work. So I think this year has been awesome in that there has been a lot of student participation and concern-so it's made SG that much better.
The University News took this opportunity to sit down with Powers, to get her story, her vision of the University and her plans for the future.
UN: Have long have you been involved in SG?
MP: I've been involved since freshman year. For the first two years, I was a senator and I was also helping out on difference SPUD committees. Last year I was the Vice President of the Senate and I was on the executive council. Each year you have more responsibility and I think there's a big jump just from being a senator to being on the executive council because you have to be more concerned with managerial tasks than getting involved in activities and running activities-it's more managing.
And it was especially a huge jump to go from Vice President of the Senate and dealing with senators every day. As president you deal with a lot of administrative things and you're in a lot of meetings all day and sending e-mails and keeping in touch with people. It's different as you move up, but it's fun at the same time.
UN: How do you feel your presidency has gone so far?
MP: I think it has gone pretty well so far. We've been doing a lot of work in SG this semester. SG has been doing well. SG is composed of two different branches. There's the SPUD branch and [SPUD's] vice-president this year is Lauren Harkins-and she's been absolutely amazing-and all the SPUD chairs have been great. I feel, at least, that all the SPUD activities have gone well and have enjoyed a lot of participation. I think this year has been absolutely amazing with student participation. And I just think that has been great. Really, though, unless students get involved on campus with the events and activities, student government can't properly work. So I think this year has been awesome in that there has been a lot of student participation and concern-so it's made SG that much better.
Be the first to comment on this story