Kyle Duggan (Peter Caty/The Mirror)
“Increasing student advocacy inside FUSA and increasing FUSA’s role on campus.”
These are junior Kyle Duggan’s goals if he wins the race for FUSA President. A goal, he said he believes, “is very realistic.”
“I think that with a core group within FUSA students can really rally around FUSA and it can be something to be proud of,” said Duggan.
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Duggan, who hails from Westfield, Mass., has been the 2011 class president since his freshman year. Duggan said that this is the right time for him to be running for FUSA President.
“I recently changed my major [to politics] and I can dedicate a lot of time to FUSA — for the school, it’s a really good fit,” he said. “FUSA has had a lot of good changes, but it’s not a rallying point yet.”
Duggan’s goal is to make FUSA “loud.” He hopes to bring FUSA back into the forefront of students’ minds. The biggest goal he wants to bring to FUSA is student advocacy.
According to Duggan, one of his biggest motivations has been his belief that FUSA has not taken enough of an active role in the staff layoffs, restrictive parking, and the shuttle bus. He cited the many times that students have tried to take on an issue on campus and he encourages that same initiative be taken up by other students. However, he wants FUSA to be there to lead them.
In regards to the other candidate for FUSA President, Duggan spoke candidly about his opponent.
“Eddie is a great guy. I don’t know him too well, but he has been very capable in the executive board,” said Duggan. “I do not think he will make a bad president.”
Although he has not spoken to Muniz about his platform, Duggan said, “I’ve heard Jeff [Seiser] is going to support him. That is going to be a continuation of a quiet FUSA, and that is not what we need right now.”
Hutch Willliams ‘08, a former FUSA President now working with the University, said, “Kyle has had adequate experience to deal with the upcoming role as FUSA president. The FUSA president is a learning experience in itself.”
“I believe his length and time in FUSA will bode well for him adapting quicker than someone else,” continued Williams.
Unlike when Williams first won, Duggan is running as a junior and will have only one term in office if he wins.
“It’s a different philosophy going in, you have a lot more experience taking it on … spirit and passion and I think that can be done in one term,” said Duggan. “It does not make that much of a difference.”
Williams refers to Duggan’s experience through his many accomplishments as class president: 2011 Halfway-There Cruise, Movie Night In Town, Movie on the Quad, 2011 Iron Chef, Family Feud, Archie Moore’s Christmas, Disney Vacation Raffle, 2011 Sweatpants, Hats, and Scarves, various T-shirt give-aways, and Late Night Hot Chocolate Sales.
Duggan also gained valuable experience from other activities on campus as well. He was the stage manager for On The Spot Improv his sophomore year and he is the director of Your Mom Does Improv.
Duggan said of the two FUSA presidents that have come before him, “Hutch was school spirit, Jeff was very passionate for Fairfield a very hard worker and did great organizational things that will help it run better … Both were good FUSA Presidents.”
According to Duggan, his idea of a successful term as FUSA President is “that FUSA would be more prominent, and people would consider it its student government, that is more than programing, the organization that they get in touch with then want something done.”
“Physical initiative would be bringing back an on-campus shuttle, making sure that rising seniors are sure if they are getting off campus and increasing the comfort level of current students on campus,” continued Duggan.
Duggan sees himself as a “very accessible person, and easygoing. Anything they read or hear from me, if they think I’m wrong, I’m perfectly willing to discuss it with them.”
“I’m very proud to go to this school. I want other people to feel that way too,” continued Duggan. “There are a lot of negative things about life on and off campus and I want to bring school spirit (but more then just athletic school spirit).”
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