Working with Student Leaders

Evelyn Reiman recalls what it was like to observe multiple student leaders grow and develop their leadership styles since she began serving as a Student Government adviser.

Interview on 2012-04-26 00:00:00 -0400

Transcript

00:00:00.000 So as an administrator when you're working with those students
00:00:05.461 you get a chance to really see how they're looking at leadership,
00:00:12.112 how they're choosing their battles, because tuition and fees is probably the one that's stood the test of time.
00:00:19.973 They have to decide, do they just take an adamant sort of no new tuition increase, no new fees?
00:00:26.765 Do they accommodate to it? Do they vote for the full amount? Do they try to use their influence, and they're only one of thirteen
00:00:35.145 and usually they feel like the votes are stacked against them,
00:00:38.846 so how do they navigate that?
00:00:43.683 I think most of them don't want to burn their bridges either, right, so they're on this distinguished board of trustees with leaders from across the country
00:00:52.681 and they're working with senior administration, so how do they advocate for students
00:01:00.721 and be a true voice and champion for students and still keep or preserve a positive relationship with administration?
00:01:10.090 So I'm very impressed by the ways they've kind of navigated that
00:01:16.531 and I always felt very strongly that as an advisor to the student body president
00:01:22.766 that my top priority needed to be supporting them and helping them accomplish their goals
00:01:31.170 and never, ever using them as a tool to accomplish my goals.
00:01:36.642 There were student body presidents that I was very close to and then there were a couple where we really were quite different from each other,
00:01:44.522 and I want to think that it was always about helping them be who they wanted to be
00:01:52.799 in what they accomplished, even if it wasn't the exact policy course that I would take.