Student Government Vice President Jackie Merritt was sworn into office May 5. Merritt was elected to the Senate, then voted to Senate Pro Tempore. She served the position until former Vice Present Colton Duncan voluntarily resigned, giving her the opportunity to take over.
The Clegg-Merritt administration will serve Student Government for the upcoming academic year.
Q: Where are you from, what are you into and what do you want the student body to know about you?
A: I grew up in Coppell, a small town in Dallas. Later, I attended high school in San Antonio, before finding my home at Texas State. I’m a huge advocate for the arts and love to experience live music, dance, literature, art and theatre. I love anything that involves coffee, the San Antonio Spurs or dogs. After life as an undergrad, I would love to spend a year living abroad.
Q: What is your major, minor and classification?
A: I am a senior pursuing a degree in Dance Education with a secondary teaching field in English.
Q: What organizations are you involved in on campus?
A: I am involved in Student Government, Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society and the Strutters.
Q: What will be the biggest challenge for you this year, in terms of serving as vice president of the student body?
A: Communication with the entire student body and spreading the message of what Student Government is doing on campus is always challenging. Our administration has a lot of ideas and initiatives that are in the works, and I would love to share what we are doing for the students.
As vice president, my goal is to employ a transparent and interactive method of communication with the students. I will be striving to actively communicate through multiple platforms to keep my peers in the know and get their feedback. I would love for students to get more involved and vocalize the change that they want to see on campus. I encourage all students to attend our meetings so that we can fulfill our job to serve in the best interest and wants of the students.
Q: How do you intend to balance Strutters and Student Government responsibilities?
A: I believe that being highly involved grants me a lot of perspective and different outlooks on things. I have learned that my involvement in other organizations gives me the ability to hear more from what the students want on campus. This puts me in a unique position that allows me to better serve my peers and the university. I also encourage all other students at Texas State to become very involved on campus.
Q: How do you feel about the abruptness of the role? You stepped up, but what are some of the feelings behind that?
A: I feel extremely fortunate to be serving my peers, and I took on the role ready to make a difference. I am ecstatic to see that positive change and growth can be implemented at our university.
Q: What policy of your administration is most important to you?
A: The policy that I’m most passionate about is our open educational resources initiative, that I anticipate having an immensely positive impact on our campus and students. The Clegg-Merritt administration has been working throughout the summer to alleviate some of the financial strain students experience regarding textbook prices. Bringing OERs to Texas State will aid in textbook affordability. It will also provide quality material and resources to students who are taking their basics, entry level courses and prerequisites. This policy will not only empower Texas State students in the classroom, but will also save students a great deal of money.