Brielle Appelbaum, a sophomore studying English and economics, is running unopposed for the position of executive secretary of the Student Government Association at the University of Alabama.
The duties of the executive secretary include acting as a historian for the SGA by recording all of the Executive Council meetings, maintaining the SGA website, continuing the “SGA Through the Years” project and creating an Executive Secretary Booklet.
During the past year, Appelbaum has held the position of assistant communications director for External Affairs of the SGA. As executive secretary, she will continue to focus on the most effective methods of communication.
“My goal is to think, ‘How can I write it down in the best way for the most people to understand?’” Appelbaum said.
Appelbaum believes the best way to communicate the actions of the SGA is through the use of technology. She plans to use her skills in multimedia to document meetings through live video streaming and photography.
“I want to turn the SGA office into a multimedia office,” Appelbaum said. “I want to use social mediums to make the student body more aware.”
Appelbaum is also focused on setting and achieving goals for herself as executive secretary. She is determined to provide transcripts of SGA meetings online within three days of occurrence. However, her focus is not only on herself, but also on the SGA system as a whole.
“I want to focus on goal setting,” she said. “If someone proposes a bill and seems invested in a certain problem, I want to make sure that they follow through with those initiatives.”
Using the University creed as inspiration, Appelbaum hopes to keep the SGA accountable, responsible and honest in order to foster community involvement and interest.
“I have learned that the best way to educate people is to be really open about it,” she said. “We, as the SGA, need to be a completely transparent organization.”
To improve relations between the general student body and the SGA, Appelbaum proposes that a weekly column be published in The Crimson White. She hopes that the column can be used to relay the messages of the governing body and to highlight their projects.
“Why should we not be held accountable by the student body on a weekly basis?” she said.
Appelbaum believes the biggest problem with the SGA within the UA community is the lack of communication between the two. In her position as executive secretary, she hopes to improve on the issue to create a more functional University.
“I want people to become involved and passionate about what goes on on campus,” she said. “I want to have an open dialogue between the students and the SGA.”
