North Texas Daily

Mollie Jamison / Staff Writer

Student Government Association senators represent a large number of students in their respective schools and colleges. However, many of these students know nothing more than the senator’s name. Here is a short introduction to three senators and their primary concerns.

Billy Poer

College of Arts and Sciences senator

Political science junior 

Poer said his goal for the semester is to increase student involvement with Student Government Association.

“Right now Senator [Pedro] Ortiz and I are working on gathering student opinion on the smoking ban and increasing involvement through awareness of SGA,” Poer said. “Other than collecting student opinion, I am working on finding practical applications of the knowledge students are gaining so that they can better understand what they want to do after college. It is currently an ongoing project.”

Poer has been a member of SGA for almost a year and a half. He started as a freshman intern during his first year and then was elected as a senator and served on the summer senate.

Jackson Savarese

College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism senator

Hospitality management senior 

Savarese said his goals are to be a good representation of his constituents, to try to keep his personal opinion out of things and think more like the student body as a whole this semester.

“Being my first semester in senate, I am just trying to figure out my way around,” Savarese said. “It is a lot to take in at once. I got involved in SGA to represent my college and get more involved on campus. SGA is such a strong organization, and I have always wanted to be a part of it. I am honored to have the chance to serve.”

Lindsey Torpey

College of Visual Arts and Design senator

Pre-interior design sophomore 

Torpey said she is working with another CVAD senator, photography sophomore Christopher Lee, to get students more involved with each other and build a stronger community throughout the college.

“Chris and I have a few ideas for a mural or large art piece that we want students’ help on,” Torpey said. “They are still works in progress.”

This is Torpey’s second semester in student senate.

Adam Hasley

College of Business senator

Finance senior 

Hasley said his main goal this semester is to work with the provost and faculty to modernize the classroom environment.

“In order to truly prepare students for the real world, we must switch to a model that focuses on critical thought and a project/application-based model,” Hasley said. “NextGen courses are a good start if they are done correctly.”

NextGen courses are geared toward online learning and small group activities in addition to the typical professor lecture.

Hasley said he’s currently working on being more transparent in regards to where tuition money goes in the College of Business.

Hasley first became a senator in Fall 2011 and has served as external committee chair, speaker and is now fiscal committee chair.

Above: Billy Poer mug courtesy of UNT, Jackson Savarese mug courtesy of UNT, Lindsay Torpey mug courtesy of Lindsay Torpey Facebook page, Adam Hasley mug courtesy of UNT

Feature photo: graphic courtesy of UNT Student Government Association