If Dan Wilson has things his way, by this time next year FAU will provide “some type” of transportation system between FAU’s campuses.
As the new student body president, Wilson wants students on all the campuses to feel connected.
“It’s important that everyone that’s a student at FAU realizes that we’re all one big family,” says the 21-year-old Wilson, a finance major. “Broward feels like they are Broward students, MacArthur feels like they’re MacArthur students, when they should all feel like FAU students.”
During a governor’s debate earlier this year at the Jupiter campus Wilson noticed that the other governors kept bringing up a bit of animosity towards the Boca campus because being larger it gets a lot of things that the other campuses don’t. This is what inspired Wilson’s transportation idea.
“This would give students access to things we can’t possibly bring to their campuses, so they could enjoy what we have here for them,” he says.
Wilson also hopes to foster a sense of connection by routinely traveling to the other campuses, letting students know he’s there for them. “I want to do what I can to make their life at FAU better,” he says.
Another way Wilson hopes to make the lives of students at FAU better is by creating a more “traditional atmosphere.”
“I’d like to help alleviate that commuter atmosphere while still catering to our commuter students. A lot of new students come here expecting things…then are disappointed. I want to make people want to hang out on campus a lot more and feel welcome. It’s so important to do more things on campus to help bring the kind of atmosphere that you see at more traditional universities, such as UF and FSU-for instance, having Greek housing and a football stadium on campus.”
Gary Goldberg, a former University-Wide Council member who is now a senator, says Wilson has a few other goals: getting the Wellness Center finalized, trying to take the politics out of Student Government so the students get the money they deserve, and supporting athletics so that it is visible to the other campuses.
“Dan wants to be the best advocate he can between the administration and the students,” says Goldberg.
Wilson says that SG’s biggest problem right now is “marketing.”
“A lot of students don’t even realize we are up in this office,” he says. “So to me the number one focus is to let students know that we are here for them. Whether it’s being on the breezeway or whether it’s reaching out to students in the classrooms. We need to do what we can to make students know we’re here for them and we’re a service that caters to their needs.”
Wilson is no newcomer to student government. He has been around for three years, first serving two years as a senator and a term as a chair in the Senate Budget Committee, which is responsible for deciding the budgets of all the clubs. Last year he was elected Boca governor and was also the president of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
“I have a lot of leadership experience,” Wilson says. “I’ve been through a lot. And as far as experience and leadership goes I think I’m developing as I go on, and I’m getting pretty good at it.”
But will he be better than his predecessor Alvira Kahn? Some former SG officials fear that since his party had her support during the elections, he will follow some of the controversial policies that Kahn enacted last year [see earlier UP issues].
Brent Dell, former vice president (under Pratt) and MacArthur governor and Wilson’s opponent in the elections, says he has heard similar concerns but he hopes they aren’t true. “I think that a number of things were not done properly this year. I hope he sees that and tries to be different.”
Former SG President Ancel Pratt III doesn’t think this will be the case either. “I don’t think not returning phone calls will be the issue with him,” he says with a laugh.
Jeff Diamond, who was Wilson’s chief of staff and fraternity bother when he was governor, said there has been a lot of confusion over this issue. “She overshadowed what Dan was doing. He had to go through a lot of crap that he didn’t have anything to do with,” he says. “He broke away from Alvira eventually. She did some stupid things, but Dan wasn’t about that. He is sensitive. He doesn’t want to tarnish his name.”
“Although he is a friend of hers he is not her protí©gí©,” adds Goldberg. “Dan is running things his way not Alvira’s way.”
Wilson asserts that he is, “his own person.”
“I have a history of having my own mind, and I fight for the things that I believe in,” he says. “In no way do I feel like her apprentice.”
Unlike Kahn, Wilson also plans to have a closer relationship with the SG sponsored agencies. “It seems like the university-wide agencies have a little bit of autonomy, I guess you’d say. They don’t really work with student government as a whole, and that’s something I want to have. To me it’s important that we all work together as a team.”
Many feel that teamwork is a must in order for SG to have a successful year.
“If Dan doesn’t communicate with his staff, it won’t be good,” says Mickey Dutes, former vice president. “He needs to take advantage of the great staff working for him. I hope it is a team effort. A one man show will fail, but teamwork will produce at all the campuses a richness and success.”
Kahn was not available for comment.
“He is trying to find the balance between what he should do and what he should delegate to others,” says Lisa Bardill, Dean of Student Affairs and Adviser to Student Government. “He has things he needs to change, but I think his heart is in the right place. He really wants to make a difference.”
Wanting to make a difference and actually making a difference are two very different things. Wilson has many goals but will he be able to make them happen?
“I know Dan is fully capable, and I think he can do a fantastic job if he puts the effort forth,” says Dell. “But it’s his effort I’m worried about. If we don’t have the representation in the Board of Trustees and other meetings, that could be problematic. A lot of clubs don’t have any student representation.”
Wilson’s “absence” during parts of last year when he was governor makes some people wonder if this year will be the same.
“Sometimes I had trouble getting a hold of him. It was kind of hit or miss,” says Bardill. “He wasn’t around much in the fall, but during the spring he was pretty involved. I think he realized this, and it seems like he wants to change that.”
“I can honestly tell you because I worked on his staff that he was around all the time in the summer. He was more sparse during the fall, but he got the job done behind the scenes,” says Diamond. “I can’t comment how he handled the UWC and the Senate because I didn’t work over there. But he always made himself available to me.”
“This is no easy job,” adds Goldberg “There are many daily meetings. I’m not going to lie, he has missed a couple of meetings. I know that; he knows that. I don’t even know how he had time for classes because he had people grabbing him every 20 steps. I hope that he prioritizes now and it’s not a problem.”
Commenting on what Wilson did for the Boca Campus last year Dutes says, “To tell you the truth, I believe he had greater intentions but he didn’t come through. He had all the chances to be a great governor, but I don’t know what happened. The proof is in what the students have to say.”
However, Mike D’Eugenio, Director of Community Relations (under Kahn) and Wilson’s fraternity brother, points out that it’s hard to use what Wilson has done as governor to gauge what he will do as president since the two positions are completely different. “As president you are working with a whole lot more money and people. He has experience and he knows what’s going on; I’ll give him that. There are a few nay sayers but the majority thinks he is qualified.”
Wilson’s response to the “nay sayers” is a promise to be “very involved” in different clubs and meetings. “I love being out there with the students. I love talking to students. I’m not someone who likes to hide up in the office and just sit here doing work. I’ll be at club meetings, ICC meetings, and senate meetings. They are all very important to me.”
“I really don’t want to dwell on the past,” he says. “I want to look to the future. I’m going to put forth my best effort to make sure that the students get what they deserve, which is everything I basically have done in the past and mean to do in the future.”
Part of the reason Wilson decided to run for president is because he felt it was the only way to get the things he wanted done. “I have a lot of initiatives,” he says. “A lot of things I wanted to get done at the university-wide level I couldn’t do as governor. I just didn’t have the power. I hope all that will change now.”
Change is the word on everyone’s lips. Many are waiting to see what this year’s Student Government will bring.
“You can expect a lot of good, new things from Dan and Diana (Boca Governor) and Kirk (Vice President),” says Diamond. “It’s going to be a very productive year for Student Government.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing big things change,” Goldberg adds. “Dan’s supporting cast is better than any other I have seen. He is a lot better than Alvira, and you can quote me on that.”
“I look forward to seeing a new face working on behalf of the student body,” says Pratt. “As a whole Student Government looks good because I have worked with many of them and they are good people.”
“I hope that Dan is able to attend all the meetings, be fiscally responsible, and that he takes care of business unlike Alvira Kahn,” says Nancy Fowler, President of the Human Rights Association. “Our club is looking forward to working with the new officers, and we are hoping for a positive change.”
It’s too early to tell what the future is going to bring, D’Eugenio says. “We don’t know what is going to come up-could be good or bad things,” he says. “Let him get two or three months under his belt, then judge him. I think Dan is honestly looking to do the best job possible, and that might upset some people. But his priority is to find the best way to get things done.”
Wilson is very optimistic. He believes SG’s biggest strength is leadership. “We have a lot of experience and integrity (his party’s name),” he says. “Kirk’s experience just overwhelms me with what he’s done in the past and what he’s capable of doing in the future. And Diana’s got the biggest heart of anyone I know. She cares for the students at an astronomical rate, and she does everything she possibly can to help them on a daily basis.”
“I really think we are going to lead Student Government in the right direction and take FAU to where it needs to be.”
Wilson’s message to the students: “Look forward to the future. You have a student body president who is here for you guys – come see me, let me know your concerns, and help me make this a better university for you.”
