The second semester means the biggest student election of the year, the Fairfield University Student Association presidential election, is near.
It also means current FUSA president, Alexander Long ‘14, will see his term soon come to an end.
Last year Long secured the FUSA presidency, in a landslide victory, to succeed Robert Vogel ’13, as the 66th president of the student governing body.
“I felt good about him coming in,” said Frederick Kuo, director of Student Involvement. “Alex has been part of FUSA for years, so he has a long history with the organization. Also, as a student who’s been very engaged, you’ve seen quite a bit in his three years coming into the position.”
One challenge students have presented to Long this year is the possibility of Greek life at Fairfield. Last semester, two freshmen proposed this idea to Long. He and his Executive Council, provided the students with a forum to voice their opinions.
“Who knows if Greek life will ever be a possibility here, but at least they’re helping facilitate the conversation. Regardless of what FUSA’s opinion is, Alex helped give voice to these students who otherwise might not have a voice,” said Kuo.
FUSA is in the process of forming a committee of senators to join freshmen Matthew Peacock ’17 and Nick Ferry ’17 in pursuing Greek life and finding strategic ways of going about it so that what both students and administration want can be accomplished, according to Long.
“From the students’ end, they want an additional welcoming community on campus, whereas administration fears the negative aspects,” said Long. “We want to find that balance. It’s all about balance.”
One urgent issue he planned to address during his term was to work with the Inter-Residential Housing Association to create a better living and social atmosphere for students.
This would help to generate more energy and school spirit campus wide.
“What we’ve done this year pretty successfully is tap into the small communities on campus and bring students out to join FUSA to give their ideas,” said Long. “We try to engage the ideas of what students really want to see. It’s forming new traditions out of our creative spectrums that will last longer and attract the most students. We’re working closely with IRHA and the Office of Residential Life to create initiatives that can make all the difference.”
Another goal that Long set for himself as FUSA President was to provide better interaction between students and administration. By keeping the administration in the students’ discussions the student experience at the school can be improved.
“That’s a position that any involved student leader has to manage”, said Kuo. “It’s not an easy thing to bridge the gap between ‘Hey, I want to be someone who’s relatable to my peers, but also be in the eyes of the administration as somebody to trust and provide information to.’ I think Alex has done a very good job of that.”
“Part one was moving our office,” said Long about bridging this gap. “We always have people in the office so when people have a question, we’re quick to help out.”
The chance to communicate through students and administration is available to Long because of the work by his Executive Council, which gives him extra time. It allows him to work towards understanding what the students want and how to balance that with the administration’s cause, as well.
Long’s responsibilities as FUSA President include being the official spokesperson for FUSA, issuing a “state-of-the-university” address once per academic year, and defining the FUSA budget. He also sits in on the University Council and converses over campus activities with administrators monthly.
As a member of the SWAT program under FUSA, as well as a senator for his junior class, Long has had previous experience at leadership positions. The communication major and math minor has been a lector, an attendant on a service trip to Nicaragua, and a member of the Orientation Support Team.
Although the next president of FUSA will be determined in the near future, Long still has another three months to serve on his term.
“Maybe this Greek life conversation will continue some more. There are a number of events that will be happening the rest of the semester and I know they are very important to Alex,” said Kuo.
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