Literary studies junior Diana Kao and finance and accounting junior Remsen Jennings will soon begin terms as Student Government president and vice president, respectively, for the 2009-10 academic year after their recent election.
Kao took 55 percent of the vote against opponents Cody Eilrich, who received 35 percent of the vote, and Andrew Hoelscher, who received 10 percent.
In all, 769 votes were counted.
“As president, I hope to be as accessible to students as possible,” Kao said. “I want students to feel comfortable walking up to me on campus to discuss their concerns, and I want those same students to walk away from our conversation feeling confident that Student Government will advocate for their best interests.”
Kao and Jennings ran on the “Team TEAD” ticket, one of three parties in the election. Other tickets included the Open Source Party and the Student Vision Party.
According to Jennings, TEAD stands for Transparency, Experience, Awareness and Diversity. Their platform called for getting students involved with the University early in their collegiate experience, as well as connecting them with Student Government.
The duo also proposed the “FreshRhet Initiative,” which is a program that aims to actively engage freshman students in Rhet 1101 classes and encourage them to get involved in campus activities.
“Our student body continues to evolve, and, as we enter our 40th year, I feel honored as a student leader to be given the opportunity to help improve the UT Dallas experience for my fellow Comets,” Jennings noted.
Kao and Jennings’ one-year term begins May 1.
Media Contact: Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu
Vice President Remsen Jennings and President Diana Kao ran on a platform that called for heightening student involvement. (Photo by Mark Lauman)