President
Brad Thompson
junior, radio-TV-film major

What are your goals if elected Student Government Association President?
The first one is representation. I would like to see how SGA can better represent the student body. This is essential if SGA is going to be a viable campus organization. Second is communication. This is so important that SGA be able to communicate its ideas and agenda to the student body, and allow for students to converse directly back to SGA. Third is building a strong TCU community.

What are your qualifications to serve as Student Government Association President?
I have served in SGA for five semesters. I have held the positions of Vice President of Programming Council, SGA Secretary, Director Of Programming, Howdy Week Project Director, Concerts/Special Events Chair, Fine Arts Chair, Clark Hall representative, and member of Permanent Improvements, Dining Services and Finance committees.

What is the No. 1 issue you think the House should take up next year, and what is your suggestion for how the House should solve that issue?
The number one issue House needs to take is to evaluate how they represent the student body and what makes them relevant. House needs to focus on becoming an organization that is respected and truly represents the needs of the students. Once this type of new representation is in place, issues that are truly relevant can be constructively addressed and dealt with.

What is the one unique thing you have done as a student at TCU that sets you apart from other students?
I think one unique thing that sets me a part from other people has been my leadership development at TCU. I have served so many positions in SGA over the past two years, all of which have prepared me for this job. I also enjoy leadership outside of SGA, which I think is really important because this has given me a very unique perspective on TCU and where we are going as a student body.

Do you support the proposed SGA fee increase? Why or why not?
Yes I do. Coming from a very strong background in Programming Council, I know how much it costs to program on a college campus. Our SGA fee is extremely low in comparison to other universities of our size and stature. An extra increase in fees would allow SGA to do better programming that is truly new and unique. The extra funding would also allow for more collaboration in terms of co-programming with student

What do you see as the role/job of the Student Government Association?
The primary role of SGA is to represent students and make their college experience better. I am in the business of making people’s experience at TCU better, whether that be through bringing a great concert or addressing a need that a student has. This is our primary job, and by better representing the needs of students, we can provide a richer college experience for the student body.

What do you think was the greatest triumph of the past administration? What has been the biggest disappointment?
I think the biggest triumph of this past administration has been the building of community and brining people together. With large events like FrogStock and collaborative meetings with various organizations such as Faculty Senate and Staff Assembly, barriers were broken down this year. The greatest disappointment has been Channel 47. This started out as a great idea, but the cost of managing and operating such an endeavor is too great for SGA to take

Name three initiatives you want to implement and how you wish to implement them (must exclude parking and food).
1. Representative—Redesign how House and PC represent student concerns and needs 2. Communication—Effectively communicate with students to let them know what SGA is doing and make SGA more accessible to them so they can communicate back 3. Building community—Continue to bring people together and break down barriers that exist between student groups and SGA and develop a strong working relationship with them

What purpose should the University Retreat serve? How would you go about meeting this purpose?
The University Retreat’s main purposes are to build community, get away from campus and have fun, and to develop leaders from across the campus I would like to see the retreat be able to take a large number of students from across campus who may not be “leaders” yet and get them excited about TCU and leadership in their organizations

What can SGA do to create more flexibility in the budget to prevent left-over funds?
The best way to prevent left over funds is to allocate money ahead of time to certain projects and keep a close tab on exactly how much money is spent. Also, any leftover money could be used towards funding student organizations or programs that the student body wants.