I have served for the past two years as an Arts and Sciences Senator. This past year as Speaker of the Senate, I gained the proper knowledge of serving on the executive council. I have written and passed multiple pieces of legislation through our SGA Senate to better this campus, most notably the Honor Flight Funding Initiative, in which we raised approximately $9,000 for our local Tuscaloosa Honor Flight Branch. I have collaborated with multiple senators to yield new pieces of legislation regarding a new SGA Senate town hall meeting to increase transparency, as well as legislation in regard to free education materials to ease the financial burden of an education to students.
The position of Vice President of Student Affairs encompasses a lot of working parts. The umbrella of this position embodies practically anything and everything in relation to student service as well as student well-being. Student Affairs stretches across fields such as transportation, new student orientation and even housing.
That being said, my platform for the 2015-2016 year is to improve student well-being as well as create sustainable change on our campus. My platform is extensive and multi-step but very goal-oriented and always in motion. Throughout my past projects I have been given the opportunity to build strong relationships and connections with the University’s administration and officials, and I believe these relationships will allow me to establish my projects rapidly and see them through.
If elected Vice President of Student Affairs, I plan to enact the Crimson Change Education Reform. This reform encompasses a big business partnership with Amazon that will result in millions of dollars in student need-based scholarships as well as a one-day delivery system for students. This will result in an estimated 30 percent savings when you buy textbooks on Amazon.
The next phase of the Crimson Change Education Reform is to establish open-education resources on campus such as free online textbooks written by accredited professors. The ultimate goal is to ease the financial burden of a college education and to allow students to focus on what is most important – their education.
Along with the Crimson Change Education Reform, I plan to continue Honor Flight – a national network program that sends World War II veterans to see the memorials in Washington, D.C. I plan to have a “NFL Play 60” program on Central High School’s campus. This is a program that allows children throughout the community to experience 60 minutes of activity with NFL players. I also plan to create a tax awareness program similar to the UA Honors College program to educate working students of the eligibilities in regard to taxes.
In 1913, beloved UA President George H. Denny eloquently referred to our University as the “capstone of the public school system of the state.” He couldn’t have been more accurate; however, I believe this sentiment should not just end in regard to our state. VPSA at the end of the day is about the students, and I plan to serve you all with integrity and an intense passion for achievement. There is a reason we are the Capstone. At The University of Alabama we are known for excellence; I plan on carrying on that tradition as we continue to be “the high point” of student learning and student well-being.
Branden Greenberg is a candidate running for the position of Vice President of Student Affairs.
