The Parthenon asked each presidential and vice-presidential candidate the same series of questions. Below are responses from Caitlin Kirk who is running for student body vice president. 

Q: What do you want the student body to know about you personally?

A: I am the current chapter president for Alpha Xi Delta and a SGA senator for the College of Liberal Arts, as well as a pre-club member. I am a UNI peer mentor and an athletic tutor at the Buck Harless Athletic Center. I am honored to be running alongside Jeremiah Parlock for Student Body Vice-President and hope that you help us put in the work!

Q: Was there something specific that inspired you to run? 

A: When Jeremiah came to me with the proposition of running alongside him, I was hesitant at first. After much consideration, I realized that with everything I had been involved with at Marshall, it would be the next step that was meant for my Marshall experience. With everything that Marshall has given me, I knew this would be the best way to give back to the institution that means so much to me. I feel that the leadership skills that Marshall has instilled upon me has put me in the position to do better for Marshall and its students. 

Q: What plans do you have if you are elected? 

A: Once in office, my team wants to go to the student body and understand individual wants and concerns before we implement any of our own plans and ideas. However, some of the main considerations that we have seen to be important are campus engagement, where we plan to create semesterly leadership symposiums with representatives from the over 220 clubs and organizations on campus. We plan to create a volunteer faculty mentoring program for students seeking support and guidance. We plan to decrease the cost of parking permits. We plan to expand student discount programs with local businesses. We plan to expand the Barclay/Petracca affordable textbook options initiative for students.

 Q: What do you believe is the biggest issue that Marshall is facing and how do you plan to combat it? 

A: One of the biggest issues that Marshall students specifically face is mental health. With such a high collegiate work load, it is easy for students to become overwhelmed, which can easily lead to mental issues that affect all aspects of a student’s life. Our duty on campus is to be a student, but foremost it is to be a healthy human being. The first step in addressing this issue must be for students to realize that is okay to speak up and be heard about their issues. Once this becomes a normality on campus, the problems of mental health can be recognized and targeted. 

Q: Is there anything I haven’t asked that you believe the student body should know?

A: You do not have to be a part of Student Government Association to be involved and make a difference on campus. Jeremiah and I have both spent time outside of SGA during our Marshall experience and were able to get a different perspective, while being involved in other activities on campus. Anyone can still make a difference if they have the drive and passion to change anything.