Watch out, Boise State! There’s a new face in campus politics, and she means business! We here at Her Campus Boise State are so excited to introduce you to Jade Donnelly, your brand new ASBSU Vice President! To help you get a little better acquainted, we reached out to Jade and got the answers to the questions you really care about. Check out our Q&A below!
Name: Jade Donnelly
Hometown: Walla Walla, WA
Relationship Status: Single
Graduation Year: 2017
HCBSU: Why did you decide to attend Boise State University? What is your Major/Minor?
JD: Boise State made it incredibly affordable for me to attend so it was hard to pass up! Originally, it was my back-up school. Then I visited and fell in love with the small town feel of this big city. Once I started school and declared a major I chose communications. As time went on, I chose an emphasis—journalism and media studies. Then this year I decided to add minors in sociology and gender studies.
HCBSU: As ASBSU Vice President, what issues would you like to address at Boise State University?
JD: We have a variety of issues we want to combat in the coming year but we can normally boil them down to a few words—transparency, diversity, and opportunities. We want every Boise State student to have access to several opportunities on campus like clubs, sports, activities, and ASBSU. We always say that, “this is your campus,” meaning we want you to find your niche and make the impact you want to make in your four years. This goes into the issue of diversity—ASBSU and other student organizations lack the diversity necessary to make changes that include the entire campus. It’s impossible to make the best decision when entire groups aren’t involved in the decision making; therefore, we want to encourage students to join ASBSU and let their voices be heard.
Finally, transparency between students, ASBSU members, and administration is key to making positive changes on campus. We want to provide two way communication between admin and students, allowing for issues to be resolved and making sure decisions reflect the needs of students. Students are the whole reason BSU is what it is, decisions need to reflect that and those decisions must be relayed to students.
HCBSU: Do you have previous roles in ASBSU? If so, what were they and what did the role entail? What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about being involved in student government?
JD: Currently I’m a member of Student Assembly, specifically a chairperson for Publicity and Outreach. We focus on bringing news about bills, polls, resolutions, etc. to the students.
The most rewarding part is watching an issue be resolved by students for students. A problem or concern is brought to Assembly, we discuss it as a group, we decide on the correct action—turn it into a bill, a proposal, motion to vote, etc.—and we fix it the best we can. Hearing student concerns and actually being able to make a difference is incredible. I highly recommend students become involved in some way in order to make their voices heard and make impactful decisions here.
HCBSU: What other activities are you involved in on campus or in the community? Have you held other leadership positions on campus? If so, what positions and what did they entail?
JD: I also serve on a board called Joint Vision Task Force that creates a plan for future Broncos; however, this is separate from ASBSU. There’s a group of about 10 of us from different areas of campus—different colleges, focuses, clubs, etc.—that discuss what we want the future of BSU to look like. We’ve created a survey to better mirror the wants and needs of current students, we’ve changed the BSU values, decided on what our campus should focus on as a whole. It’s actually a really fun group because we’re all so dedicated to making Boise State as great as it can be.
HCBSU: What accomplishment at Boise State University are you most proud of and why?
JD: Probably the medical amnesty bill we passed through assembly. It makes sure that students are able to seek medical help without the fear of getting in trouble for drinking.
Overall though, my greatest accomplishment is getting involved and meeting a solid group of people that share my interests. It’s not always easy to find your people, but once you do I think everyone would agree it’s an accomplishment.
HCBSU: If you could give 2016’s incoming Freshmen once piece of advice to guide their college experience, what would it be?
JD: Please, please, PLEASE get involved in whatever way you deem fit. If you want to go Greek, do it. If you want to be a part of ASBSU, there’s room for you. There are clubs, groups, sports, and so many opportunities for you to explore…go find the ones that fit you! Also, don’t be nervous to put yourself out there; it’s all part of the experience.