It seems to be the consensus that, thus far, Chris Calo’s role as President of the Students’ Association has been a success.
Appointed at the end of last year, Calo has made great progress in many aspects of the presidency.
“Chris has been working at it very hard,” Dean of the College William Green said. “I think that he’s been doing a very good job.”
Deputy Speaker of the SA Senate Pete Nabozny echoed Green’s impressions. “I think he’s done a fantastic job,” Nabozny said. “Chris’s great strength is his ability to bring people into government and get them motivated. He’s done a fantastic job in improving relationships with administrators. He’s been reaching out to the senate and the speaker and cultivating relationships there.”
Over the summer, Calo coordinated a planning session that unified all three branches of student government.
“To my knowledge, this was the first time that such a great number from all [the branches] came together on any task,” Calo told the Campus Times in September.
“There’s definitely a very good sense of cooperation in student government this year that I haven’t seen in the past,” Junior Class Council President Emily Hickey said.
Director of Wilson Commons and Student Activities Anne-Marie Algier reinforced Hickey’s praise of Calo.
“The fact that he’s been working closely with all branches of government is great – it’s something I’ve been happy to see because it hasn’t been done in the past,” Algier said.
One of Calo’s chief concerns this semester has been the restructuring of student government.
“He’s been leading the reform of the structure of government,” Algier added.
A Government Restructuring Committee, formed earlier in the semester and headed by Nabozny, began examining the structure of the SA government.
Under Calo’s term, a primary means of combining branch efforts has been organizing meetings with both members of both the Senate and Cabinet.
“He’s shown a real commitment and drive for reorganization,” Green said of Calo’s efforts. Green also commented that although a request to raise the SA fee was denied due to infighting in the student government, he believes that Calo has brought the SA a long way, reviving a government which Green called “in trouble” last year. Green said that he would consider approving a follow-up request for increasing the SA fee.
In addition to his reorganization undertaking, Calo has worked to improve administrative interaction.
“He’s very focused on making sure student government works really smoothly with administration,” Hickey added.
In addition to garnering the respect of the administration, Calo’s presidency has earned the praise of his peers.
“Chris has been very easy to work with,” Hickey said.
Chris has a lot more work to do in the remaining five months of his presidency, and Nabozny believes that the end will be as successful as the beginning.
“Chris doesn’t have the ego that people in the past have had,” Nabozny said. “He just wants to see things get accomplished – he doesn’t care if credit goes to someone else.”
Chepovetsky can be reached at chepovetsky@campustimes.org.
