You'll recall that, about a week ago, I was able to interview David as part of series of sit-down interviews with the presidential and vice presidential. Unfortunately, Katie was unavailable for the interview due to unforeseen events, so we were forced to postpone. Fortunately, I was able to email her a few questions once she returned to campus and Katie was kind enough to send me back her answers. Without further ado:
Q: Why run for vice president? What makes you the most qualified candidate for the position?
Katie: I decided to run for vice president because of my deep love for the university and desire to make it even better than it already is. I have talked with some of my friends from other institutions and they describe how successful and efficiently functional their student governments are and then I think of ours and want to change it. I want to make a difference at UNI. I feel as though I am the most qualified candidate because of the unique experiences I bring to the table and the out-of-the-box perspectives. I carry with me years of experience from being an RA that no other candidate has. I also have years of experience in executive positions and see being vice president as a way to make things happen. I have great relations with the faculty here and the administration, not to mention the student body itself.
Q: You have no NISG experience. Do you see that as a positive? How do you intend to compensate for that lack of experience?
Katie: Yes, this is a huge positive to me. I have something none of the other candidates do. I have unique skills and experience to bring into the position and utilize to make a change in NISG. I am really excited to bring everything that I have learned as being an RA into the position and all of the other executive positions I have worked in. I don't believe I will need to compensate for any lack of experience as I just carry a different kind of experience with me into NISG.
Q: How will your experience as a resident assistant inform your goals as vice president?
Katie: David and I have strategic goals to create transparency with NISG and get the students more engaged to the process and procedures. We are really wanting more student input and that will be achieved through the student voice app and Petition the President initiative. I am really excited about taking on this problem with the current status of NISG because that is what I do in my job and have been doing for the past two years. My job, as an RA, is to listen to the concerns of students and meet their needs in whatever way possible! That is exactly what part of the position as vice president entails and what David and I wish to do in office.
Q: Can you talk about your training with the Campus Coalition Builders?
Katie: I am training to be part of the CCB, Campus Coalition Builders, here on campus which is UNI's smaller part of NCBI, National Coalition Building Institute. I am working with diversity folks like Karen Mitchell, Danielle McGeough, Ellie Hail and Victoria DeFrancisco. We are trained to facilitate discussion about diversity and to create personal change. We also facilitate workshops fro groups to create a more cohesive community and environment. Let me know if this explains enough or if you have more questions.
And there you have it, folks! The last of the candidate interviews. If you'd like to read the other interviews, you can check out Part 1 and Part 2 of KaLeigh and Alicia's, Part 1 and Part 2 of Tom and Blake's, and Part 1 of David and Katie's.
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