Archivist note: Originally published on the Elections WordPress site. Apr 19, 2014 @ 21:51, “Civic Engagement Representative”
Swetha Narasimhan
In running for this position as Civic Engagement Representative, I am really relying on my current interactions with the staff at the CEO through Praxis II placements, creating a Praxis III, student coordinating for the Belmont Mentoring program, attending civic engagement conferences, and various other outreach opportunities. These experiences have given me the platform to get to know the staff at the CEO and feel comfortable talking to them in both formal and informal settings. Having had all of these interactions also makes my time at the CEO more valuable to me. I feel like the work done at the office is really exemplary and should be taken advantage of more by students.
If elected, one of my initiatives would be to increase the visibility of the CEO on campus by publicity, conversations, and just general awareness. I think the most effective way for this to be achieved would be to create spaces in which students and staff from the CEO could come together to talk about the role of the CEO on campus. As another initiative, I think the CEO’s role in SGA could be increased simply because of how many SGA-funded clubs exist under the larger umbrella of the CEO’s goals as an office. I would work closely with the staff at the CEO to find out what sources of funding they have available to them, with the treasurer to find ways for financial collaboration and ways to support clubs more effectively, and with the club leaders themselves to act as the liaison to the CEO and create a new opportunity for meaningful collaboration. Also, in the midst of the merge between the CEO and CPD to form LILAC, I would like my position to be used as a sort of messenger to the student body through SGA, which hopefully would encourage students to use both these resources where it makes sense for them.
Both the CEO and SGA are spaces that mean a lot to me, and I hope be