1. Why do you want to be president? 

P: I love Akron and I think I can make it better. I have a connection with this school that a lot of our students never make [and] I want others to have the Akron experience I’ve been able to have.

VP: Isaac and I have worked together on many projects this year, and we led the Facilities and Services Committee together. We work together very well and both have the desire to make UA the best it can be.

2. What are some of the most important things you have done is USG so far?

P: [Getting] swipes back at Freshen’s and the Rec Café, pushing for WiFi upgrades that the board recently agreed to, [and] writing USG’s opposition to The Safe Campus Act (which passed), which would have stripped sexual assault victims of their rights.

VP: Last semester, I led the initiative and urged the administration to make sure that the Off-Campus Patrol services were renewed, and it worked.

3. What is your experience outside of USG?

P: I have served as a judicial board member and PR Chairman of my fraternity, been a peer mentor, and I represent USG in the University Council Steering Committee, and the Ohio Student Government Association.

VP: I work at the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics and serve as USG representative on Faculty Senate and University Council. This past summer, I interned in the district office of a Pennsylvania Senator, doing a lot of constituent outreach and event planning.

4. What do you think needs to change on this campus, if anything?

P: The absolute biggest problem on our campus right now is a lack of transparency and communication. Nearly all decision[s] are made top down without the administration consulting those they are making decisions about. Because of this, they make a lot of decisions without necessary information, and many decisions come as a surprise. This creates instability for students, faculty and staff. Another major concern is the rapidly increasing cost to attend UA, despite a statewide tuition freeze.

VP: I agree with Isaac. I want to hold administration accountable to the students.

5. How will you create that change? And, anything different from the status quo?

P: USG needs to have a better understanding of the student opinion on all issues. We’ll do this through short monthly polls, continuing our town hall programs, and doing a better job distributing information that is given to USG. We also have a graduation guarantee as a solution for rising tuition costs, this guarantee would freeze both fees and tuition.

VP: Transparency needs to start between USG and the undergraduate students they represent. I want to help be that change, whether it be through tabling, or more USG events, or visiting student organizations.

6. Besides academics, what other obligations will you have outside of USG when you are president?

P: Assuming I win, I will be taking less credits than I have previously and stepping down from all organizations and jobs besides my fraternity, where I will be a general member instead of serving on the executive board.

VP: I would like to keep working at the Bliss Institute, but cut back on hours, and I will maintain my membership in a few student organizations.

Miscellaneous

1. Who do you admire most as a leader, thinker, or in any other way influential person?

P: Current USG President Taylor Swift has done the most to shape me as a leader.

VP: I get my love of civic service from my grandmother. 

2. What would students be surprised to hear about you?

P: I love underground music and seeing live bands. Everything from punk rock, to acoustic performances.  

VP: I have danced all my life. When I was little, I wanted to be a Radio City Rockette, but sadly, I’m not tall enough.

3. Favorite book: TV show: movie

P: Extraordinary Means: Fight Club: House of Cards, How I Met Your Mother

VP: Harry Potter and A Song of Fire and Ice: Jane the Virgin: The Notebook

4. Free time activities:

P: Playing tennis and watching soccer. I’m pretty good at FIFA and I like to read when I get the chance.

VP: I love spending time with my family, watching hockey, and dancing.