Thomas Niepsuj, junior biology major, running for honors college senator.

What is your platform?

“My platform sounds silly but is legitimate and it is to bring clout to the Honors College. I want students in the Honors College to have a voice, know who their USG representative is and what they are doing, encourage more students to be a part of the honors program, and help develop programs and facilities to help ensure the success of all honors students.”

Why should people vote for you?

“People should vote for me because of my involvement, standing with the university, and work ethic. I am involved with National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Sigma Phi Epsilon where I am the VP of programming, Phi Delta Epsilon where I am on the recruitment committee, Student Success Programs (where I am an SSL, PLTC trainer, confessions of a golden flash panelist, flashguide, and MAPS volunteer), Momentum A’Capella, where I am the marketing manager, and I am a soon to be member of Phi Beta Kappa, the most prestigious honors society in the nation. All of these endeavors and roles have prepared me to take on higher leadership and represent students from an entire college. I also am a student that has a major and minor in two different colleges, which gives me the unique perspective of seeing how two other colleges are run, and how I can use that knowledge to help Honors Students that come from any of the academic colleges at our university. Also, among the other candidates running for this position, I have been in the honors program the longest which gives me more insight as to what the Honors College is like and how it can be improved. Finally, my work ethic is something I pride myself on and I know that I will work my hardest to make sure students are proud to be a part of the Honors College and really feel the sense of clout that they deserve.”

What changes are you looking to enact?

“Before I make any changes too soon, I want to gauge the Honors Students and see exactly what things they want to see in my year of office. I have ideas and plans in my head but there is no point if Honors Students do not like them or think it does not apply to them. Though, with that being said, I still have ideas that I would like to introduce to Honors Students. The first is working on creating a true community in the honors Living Learning Community (LLC), especially with the addition of CCB into our LLC. LLCs are designed to create a true sense of community in your residence hall and with ours being so big it is hard to feel a real sense of community among all other Honors Students, so I want to implement programs or spaces that encourage Honors Students to get closer. I plan to do this by revamping unused spaces, or spaces that do not serve a strong purpose in the honors buildings for students to utilize them however they need and host programs in these newly established spaces. I also want to work on a way to help Honors Students graduate with honors in broadening course work and options for Honors Students when some programs are so stringent as to what you are able to take. I want to create more fluidity in Honors Students programs and give students the option to do more with their degree while still graduating on time and with honors!”