Editor’s Note: Ryan was unable to interview in person with the Old Gold & Black due to a family emergency. However, she answered a few questions over email. Check back for updates for her submitted summary and video.
Ryan’s goals are to increase transparency, expand student feedback in the legislation process, to increase diversity in mental health practitioners on campus, and to ensure student voices are represented on all hiring and policy formation committees.
She has served as a senator for 3 years. In addition, last year and this semester (she was abroad in the fall), she has served as one of the co-chairs of the Campus Life Committee. Her work in the Student Government Senate has centered on making Student Government more transparent by requiring votes to be published on the SG website, and to increase SG involvement on campus and in the community through the Book Babies drive.
Working with two Executive Boards has shown her the importance of strong advocates and clear policy goals. Ultimately, her goal is to advocate for students with administrators and to create better policy for the future of Wake Forest.
She believes the secretary of SG is uniquely positioned to inform the student body of SG’s work. She would like to increase student understanding of what SG does by creating a regular newsletter and marketing its regular meetings. Increased student input in SG’s work will only strengthen Student Government and will allow SG to effectively advocate for constituents. She has been impressed by the Senate orientation previous secretaries have given and hopes to expand Senate orientation so senators feel equipped to participate in Senate, represent constituents and propose legislation.
