Currently, the Texas Tech University Student Government Association meeting minutes are not available to view online. Valerie Briley, candidate for internal vice president, thinks this needs to change.
“Transparency, to me, means a lot of things,” Briley said. “Whether it’s making sure that legislation and the minutes are up to date every single time we do a senate meeting online or making sure that senators are actually out and getting involved in their college and making sure they are actually listening to concerns. Because, in the end, a lot of people don’t know what senators can offer them.”
The role of the internal vice president is to make sure SGA activities go smoothly. This person is responsible for working with senators to make sure legislation is proposed, passed and realized.
Although there are some things she would like to see accomplished, Briley said, it is not her job to have initiatives. Her role, if elected, would be to encourage other SGA members to push legislation.
Briley said legislation from SGA has created many things students love about Texas Tech. From the leisure pool to RaiderGate, the student senators have improved the university. But, Briley said, concerns and ideas can only be addressed if SGA knows about them.
“There’s no limit to what senators can do for you,” Briley said. “It’s just making sure that senators are held accountable and held to a higher standard to make sure that they get those things done.”
Briley said passing legislation and making changes are only helpful if people know about them. Keeping the SGA website and social media outlets updated are crucial steps to spreading the word about new initiatives. Briley said she would also like to send a newsletter out to students in order to keep them updated on what is going on in SGA.
Another part of Briley’s job, if elected, is working with student organizations. She said she wants to make sure students feel welcome to voice their opinions and needs to SGA.
“Let’s say there’s a piece of legislation that comes up about diversity,” Briley said. “I want to make sure that any organization that is diverse on campus, I want to e-mail them. I want to make sure that they’re in the know of what we’re writing because in the end it’s about them knowing what’s going on.”
Without transparency, Briley said, the students do no know about SGA.
To hear more about Briley, watch Conversations with Candidates.
Although certain Hub staffers may or may not support various campaigns, their views or opinions do not reflect those of The Hub@TTU as a whole. In the interest of fairness, The Hub@TTU will not be endorsing a particular campaign.
About Sarah Self-Walbrick
