Sophomore Sam Rich

It has been a tumultuous year for our Tulane community. Yet, in the face of such adversity, I could not be prouder of the undergraduate student body’s devotion to the betterment of our university.

It has been an honor to serve you as a Liberal Arts Senator this year. In partnership with an unbelievable executive board, I was able to make meaningful progress and create substantive dialogue surrounding mental health on campus. USG141203: Dear President Fitts was a piece of legislation, co-authored with Vice President for Student Life Fernando Ramos, that helped organize the message that you, the undergraduate students were trying to get us to hear—that mental health services on campus were not enough to create the community of care and concern that we need. This action resulted in a mental health roundtable with President Fitts, where we produced action items for how the entire community can strive to build a healthier and happier Tulane. However, mental health is not the only area of campus life that needs our passion and attention.

Despite being the proud Green Wave, we have a ways to go to become more green and sustainable: from composting food in Bruff Commons, using recycled paper in our libraries, providing first-year students with water bottles and installing water bottle filling stations across campus, we have the potential to revolutionize how we hold ourselves accountable to our community.

I want to give Tulanians the tools to be advocates against sexual assault regardless of their background and backdrop through trainings and workshops. Building off of the growing momentum of One Wave, I am committed to working with [The Center for Wellness and Health Promotion] to expand the reach of our compassion and reduce moments of harm. [Greek Life Against Sexual Assault] has made strong strides to start this initiative, and I am looking forward to finding ways to build inclusive trainings that every student can participate in.

Diversity on our campus is yet another area with the potential for growth on our campus. I will utilize the diversity and inclusive excellence committee and ensure the sustainable development of a productive discussion regarding diversity. I know that our university is committed to making changes, and I am excited to be a part of this development.

As Vice President for Student Life, I will guarantee accountable and meaningful legislation that improves Tulane. Aside from my legislation, I am committed to seeing each member of the Student Life Committee be a meaningful contributor and change-maker in the Undergraduate Student Government and the Tulane community. If you allow me the honor of serving you, I am confident that we can have a productive and successful year that betters our university.