Grant Cochran hopes to eliminate the disconnect that exists between some students and the Student Government Association. Cochran, the current Vice President for External Affairs and a junior majoring in biochemistry, is one of two candidates running for SGA president for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Cochran’s campaign is based on the five pillars: diversity, transparency, communication, student employment and financial support.

“We will eliminate disconnect between students by establishing scheduled office hours and create a simpler process for student organizations to invite SGA members to their meetings to address their group,” Cochran said. “We will also post biweekly video addresses from the president on the SGA website, informing students on the previous two weeks’ activity and commenting on the weeks to come. We will work to ensure SGA is a more inclusive organization [where] every qualified student who wishes to make a difference can do just that.”

If elected, Cochran said he would re-establish the system of scheduled office hours for senators and executive board, so students could easily find the senator from their respective colleges at a designated weekly time in the SGA office.

Cochran said he decided to run for president at the beginning of the semester when he realized he has accomplished much by working for SGA, but he said felt he could make a larger impact as SGA president.

“I have remained committed to SGA throughout my tenure at the Capstone, sacrificing involvement in other organizations to dedicate my time to students through SGA,” Cochran said.

He started in SGA as a member of First Year Council before going on to become a senator for the College of Engineering his sophomore year. Cochran then became VP for External Affairs this past year.

“As vice president for External Affairs and co-chair of the University Recreation Committee, I was able to secure all-access Recreation Center Parking at the Recreation Center indefinitely, which will allow all students with parking passes, excluding perimeter, to utilize the amenities offered by the University without worrying about receiving a parking ticket,” Cochran said.

In addition to the Rec Center parking, Cochran said he took it upon himself to plan the Women’s Political Lecture series, to engage female students in the political process and the roles they could play in leadership. He also participated in registering more than 1,200 UA students to vote this past year.

Cochran said he believes his experience and dedication to SGA will prove that he is the most qualified candidate for the position.

“My ability to lead my peers and connect with administration are indispensable assets to SGA leadership,” Cochran said. “Leadership, experience, dedication and ability to manage the busy environment that is SGA will directly contribute to my success as SGA president.”

Another focus of Cochran’s will be student employment. He said he will continue to work with Human Resources and Student Affairs to move toward more job postings online. He said he hopes this will help alleviate financial distress among students.

Finally, he said he plans to use student leaders from every corner of campus to lead incoming freshmen by example. He said he believes if upperclassmen set a good example and focus 80-90 percent of efforts on freshman programming, the SGA administration could harvest better leaders and involve more students from their first year on.

Cochran’s Platform

Help students find on-campus jobs through centralized website job listing

Re-establish office hours for senators and the executive board

Focus on freshman programming to inspire campus leaders for the future