James Kielar

1. What made you want to run for USGA president?
I ran for USGA President because I feel I have a lot to offer both USGA and UNH. I wanted to get involved in all aspects of our school and the position of USGA President will allow me to work with many different student groups as well as administrative offices on our campus. The opportunity I was given this past year of being appointed USGA Sergeant at Arms allowed me to see USGA from a behind-the-scenes perspective and really learn that taking on the role of USGA President was the right next step. I want to help students and RSOs succeed in any way they can.

2. What is the main goal of your presidency?
If I were to choose one main goal of my presidency, it would be to make USGA and UNH more inclusive. There are many under-represented groups on our campus that I feel could be better represented. I feel there is an undeniable divide between domestic resident students and commuters, international students, veterans, and graduate students. We are all students at UNH and we are one family, but if we continue to strengthen the gap that exists, we are falling farther and farther away from one cohesive family. We all have something to offer one another, and we can all complement each other in different ways, we just need to find out what those ways are.

3. What do you think your hardest challenge to overcome as USGA President will be?
The hardest challenge to overcome as USGA President will be reaching out to students who normally do not participate in student activities. I think the best way to overcome this obstacle will be to engage students face-to-face and encourage them to get involved via word of mouth. You must show interest in others if you want them to be interested in you. If you show them you are passionate about something, they will want to get involved to match your level of enthusiasm.

4. What can you to do to better the student body?
I hold efficiency very close to my heart. I believe an efficient behind-the-scenes with paperwork and policies on the USGA side will work to make a successful highlight reel for the clubs and RSOs on campus. We as a university pride ourselves on our 150 clubs and orgs but I honestly believe they are only as strong as their governing body. I think that in every situation there is room for improvement, so if there is a better way of doing something, I think it should be explored; just because we are currently doing things one way, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best or most efficient way. I also believe all options should be explored before settling on a decision. I will work on improving the efficiency of procedures and policies to better the student body.

5. What do you think the most important issue to tackle will be?
I think the most important issue to tackle is improving the communication system at UNH, which in my opinion, is flawed. We receive an almost overwhelming amount of emails each day, which many people just delete; but it’s not their fault. If the email doesn’t necessarily pertain to you, it becomes very easy to just delete it. It almost seems that information doesn’t get across to the students simply based on the method of delivery. Also, I will work on getting more approved posting locations on campus. If you work to publicize events for your club, you’ll know there are only 12 approved posting locations on our campus. It becomes very difficult to spread the word about your event when there aren’t many areas to “legally” allow you to do so.

6. Are there any immediate changes you’d like to make as president?
The immediate changes will be improving USGA and USGA meetings to make it more approachable and more representative of the students. I remember my first USGA meeting and I’m sure everyone remembers theirs. It was probably daunting; it seems very formal, official, and almost overwhelming. If you weren’t involved with USGA the previous semester, you’ll probably feel lost. I will work to make the new USGA representatives better acquainted right off the bat at their first meeting. Even something as simple as index cards explaining the order of business or what a motion is can work wonders to build a feeling of understanding.

Anna Berardinelli

1. What made you want to run for USGA treasurer?
I wanted to run for USGA Treasurer because I thought it would be awesome to be even more involved in USGA. I also felt that my experience and previous involvement prepared me to take on such a role.

2. What is the main goal of your term as treasurer?
My main goal upon assuming the position is to make the treasurer role in each RSO more understandable and manageable. I want to figure out how to make the information that is already available more accessible to each RSO.

3. What do you think your hardest challenge to overcome as USGA Treasurer will be?
I expect the hardest challenge to overcome as USGA Treasurer will be maintaining organization and keeping up with each of the club’s requests, based on what I have observed the past few years.

4. What can you to do to better the student body?
To better the student body I can offer myself as a resource for anyone who may need it, with treasurer duties and any general questions or concerns as well.

5. What do you think the most important issue to tackle will be?
The most important issue I would like to tackle is financial accountability of all clubs. Many clubs put on a variety of events throughout the year; however, there can be leftover money in their accounts after the event has occurred. I think it should be up to those clubs to keep track of the amount they spend at each event. Our RSO’s are very good at not overspending, which is great, but I think more attention should be paid to underspending because those leftover funs can be read ministered and reutilized.

6. Are there any immediate changes you’d like to make as treasurer?
Any immediate changes I would make would revolve around making information more accessible to RSO’s, based on feedback of current or prior club members.