Annabelle Hutchinson, city reporter, sits down with student body president Reid Joseph.
THE BATTALION: Looking back at your campaign last year, what sticks out in your mind?
JOSEPH: We as a campaign team decided that we could not control whether we won or lost the election. Therefore, we would not base whether we succeeded or not on whether we won or lost because we couldn’t control that. We wanted to base our success on something we could control. And what we could control is how we treated people, how we represented the Aggie core values and ultimately how we represented our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe that if we did those three things, we would be a success whether we won or lost.
THE BATTALION: How are the expectations set during campaigning different from the reality of being SBP?
JOSEPH: Expectations and reality are very rarely the same. The same is true with this. So campaign is very different from your job in office. Campaign is an all-out sprint, and your term in office is a sprint as well. However, it is really a 14-month sprint. Being in office is more difficult than campaigning.
THE BATTALION: What is the hardest part of your job?
JOSEPH: The hardest part of being in office is easily this: that you are pulled in a hundred different directions and you are also a student. And you can’t please everybody. No matter how hard you work, there will always be one more thing to do.
THE BATTALION: Were you able to achieve everything you campaigned on?
JOSEPH: No. But I still have two months left and we’re working hard. However, we have accomplished a great deal of what we set out to do and that is a tremendous testament to SGA as well as my executive cabinet.
THE BATTALION: Do you think you have accomplished your campaign goals?
JOSEPH: You know, there is always room for improvement. I have learned so much this year. I look back and I definitely see areas where I could have improved and areas where I have improved. But yes, overall I do believe that we accomplished a lot of what we set out to do and in some regards, have accomplished things that we didn’t even know would be issues.
THE BATTALION: What are your biggest accomplishments?
JOSEPH: BUILD, Evan’s Library, helping preserve and promote traditions – specifically Silver Taps.
THE BATTALION: Where did you fall short?
JOSEPH: I don’t believe we are where we need to be in regards to dining and that is going to be a huge push in my last two months. There are a lot of moving parts. We are dealing with the University, a private company, Chartwells, a contract that has been signed. But, Dr. Hussey has been great to work with on this and we are looking forward to finding a solution.
THE BATTALION: What did you not expect when campaigning?
JOSEPH: I didn’t realize how much direct access I would have to key leaders of the University and the University System. I didn’t expect to be on the president’s search committee. That has been quite an important role and I think that will be part of my legacy – my work on the president’s search committee. I do not have a vote, but I am in all of the meetings and I talk with all the members and they listen.
THE BATTALION: What advice would you give the new SBP?
JOSEPH: Well, obviously first of all, congratulations. This will be one of the biggest honors of your life. It will be the biggest responsibility of your life so far. I will tell them that they are just going to need to enjoy the process and trust the Lord with the results. They don’t have control over everything, they are not student body dictator. We are here to serve and represent. And that everyday they wake up is another day to serve the greatest student body in the world.
THE BATTALION: Have you enjoyed your time as SBP?
JOSEPH: I love it, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even on the hard days, I absolutely love it.