Schyler Burney, junior in economics, has big plans for the vice presidency this year.
Burney, before running for VP, had been involved with other student government positions. Her freshman year she applied for Cabinet, but she wasn’t picked for a post. But it had a silver lining. It left her available to accept a position as secretary of Student Senate — the same body she will be leading next year.
“I still wasn’t really quite sure how that role played into the bigger picture,” Burney said. “I really began to understand the back side of Senate and realized that I really liked it, and I said ‘ok this is where I’m supposed to be.’”
Burney, who’s running unopposed in this election, later ran for Senate as a member representing the College of Liberal Arts. This allowed her to look at the position of vice presidency and her role in Senate and determine what she will want to accomplish.
“Where do I want to spend my time, and vice president was kind of just the obvious choice. Making the most of the rest of my time here,” Burney said.
Burney said she hopes to focus on the students’ voice as well as faculty input for how the Senate should run and what should be accomplished.
“Kind of looking at the way of representation on campus and seeking ways to bring in other perspectives,” Burney said. “So kind of a tangible change that I’d like to see in the next year is inviting other student government organizations, so like honors college, BSU, ISO to appoint liaisons to serve as non-voting members.”
There are currently 34 voting members in the Senate and Burney hopes to bring in more representation for the students.
Because of her involvement over the past few years with government at Auburn, Burney said she is more prepared for how a Senate works.
“I think there’s a lot of people who get elected and have never seen the way that Senate runs, or had experience with
Burney’s goals for the vice presidency connect with her past experiences.
“Some of my overarching goals are connecting the Senate with the student body, so that’s definitely the first initiative that I’m taking on, and I think my other points are kind of encompassed in that,” Burney said. “Bridging the gaps of communication between the students and Senate, and then also Senate and faculty administration.”
Although Burney said there are some nerves for the coming year, she believes she is comfortable taking on the position.
“I would say that nervousness is accompanied by excitement and confidence that this year is going to be, I know, a whirlwind and I know it goes by so quickly but I think that the people that I’ve surrounded myself with will comfort me,” Burney said.
One of the people Burney has been influenced by is SGA President Jacqueline Keck.
“If it hadn’t been for her — I think encouraging me through the past few years, and encouraging me to get involved and giving me opportunities to help her on projects and giving me the confidence to know that I could take this on — I would maybe
Burney said she hopes to not only focus on the day-to-day operations but continue with her original long-term goals.
“Senate is nothing without the
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