Newly elected U student body president Billy Edwards is also the student leader for more than 120,000 students in the state.
Edwards was elected president of the Utah Student Association by the Utah Council of Student Body Presidents in May. The Utah Student Association is made up of student leaders from nine state institutions as well as Brigham Young University and Westminster.
In his new position, Edwards will be working closely with the state Board of Regents and the state Legislature. Edwards now faces the challenge of balancing his time between issues facing the students at the U and 11 other colleges and universities.
“There will be more of a time commitment, but it’s going to be a great opportunity,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ first official meeting as president of USA is scheduled for the first week in June, when the organization will draft proposals and goals for the academic year.
Edwards said one of his main interests is to increase USA’s standing among the state’s lawmakers.
“One of the main things we want to address is our presence in the Legislature. We want to be really effective lobbyists with the state Legislature and the Board of Regents,” Edwards said.
One of USA’s newest and most important features is the creation of its Web site at http://www.utahstudents.org.
“I want that to be one of the big focuses, and when school starts up again in the fall, that’ll be one of our big publicity pushes,” Edwards said.
At the site, students at any school in the state are able to send an e-mail to the USA cabinet and their state representatives.
“I think when students find out about the Web site, it’s going to be a very effective lobbying tool,” Edwards said.
He also said the most important facet of the Web site is its ability to inform students about current issues from campuses across the state.
“I think it’s great for the USA president to come out of the U, since this is the flagship school in the state,” Edwards said.
Edwards said it’s “very important” for every school in the state to unite in an organization like USA.
“Even though the U is the biggest school in the state, we’re a lot more powerful when we combine the voices of all the institutions,” he said.
This will be especially important when the issue of tax revenue cuts and tuition increases once again enters the state Legislature, Edwards continued.
Though Edwards faces a demanding schedule and a heavy time commitment as president of USA, he feels that his tenure in the position will enable him to bring varied aspects of leadership to his new administration.
“As a member of USA, you’re able to share information and hear about the big events at other campuses. It’s a great way to exchange ideas,” Edwards said. He also noted that following a USA meeting last year, Utah State University modeled its new child- care facility after the existing one run by the U’s family and consumer studies department.
Edwards replaces former Utah State University student body president Steve Palmer as head of USA.
USA was established in 1972 and currently represents more than 100,000 students from 11 institutions. USA is formed by two bodies: the student body leaders and the Utah Intercollegiate Assembly. In 1999, the UIA and the UCSP merged into one voting body.
Nate Powell, a U student, currently serves as the UIA Legislative Vice-President and also gets a vote on the USA executive body council.