The next election for Student Government is on its way, and with that comes the soon departure of current President Andrew Kalinowski.
Kalinowski is a senior studying professional golf management, accounting, finance and Spanish. He came to Ferris in the fall of 2010, was elected Student Government President in December of last year, and then was reelected for this year.
Kalinowski said that seeing all the progress that has been made in Student Government has been the biggest highlight of his time there.
“Last year, we only had around 10 committees we sent students to, and then in this period we have over 30 different committees that we send students to, which is amazing, because that means that students’ opinions are being more heard across campus and in the community,” he said.
Also included in his highlights was that representation of student senators and organizations has increased about 200 percent since last year, and the new events Student Government has been able to host, including the Meet and Greet the Deans event last week, and a Leadership Dinner happening later this year.
Kalinowski is finishing his term as Student Government president on a positive note all together.
“Being in Student Government allows you to work with all the different organizations across campus, so that’s what I think I’m going to miss the most, is being able to meet and learn about all the different students, learning what they like to do, and then helping them out with getting what they would like to see on campus,” said Kalinowski.
“When it comes to leaving this year, I guess it’s bittersweet. The bitter part being leaving Ferris State and leaving everyone that I know, but at the same time, I would be there as an advisor for the next president and new executive board, so if they ever need help they can have me as a resource, and not only myself but past presidents as well,” said Kalinowski.
“I’m also excited about moving on too, and finally getting into the workforce and having all the different opportunities come up, it’s very exciting and I can’t wait to see what happens next,” he said.
“My biggest advice for the President next year would be to really try to empower different students and give them more leadership opportunities,” Kalinowski said, regarding the upcoming election. “The big thing with being the president of student government is trying to delegate to different people and trying to have them in charge of a whole different opportunity across campus, so basically not necessarily leading, but training leaders how to lead.”
“I would like to give recognition to the executive board and to all the student leaders across campus. My part is bringing students together and giving them opportunities, but when it comes to having these amazing events and all the opportunities that we bring to the students, that’s really because of student leaders, the executive board and the different representatives in Student Government, so I want to thank all of them for their hard work,” he said.
Finally, Kalinowski touched on the importance of getting involved from the senior perspective.
“As an incoming freshman, everything on campus can be a little confusing in what to be involved with,” said Kalinowski. “So my biggest advice to give to a freshman would be to get involved as much you can. Join as many RSO’s as you can, learn different perspectives because there’s a lot of benefits that can come out of that. When I’ve been interviewing with employers this past year, looking for job opportunities, the biggest thing they look for is leadership experience. Student Government facilitates that, as well as any other organization here on campus. So get involved, try to get leadership experience, and you can help lead an organization to greatness.”