It’s student body election week at Utah Tech University, and there are three different roles looking to be filled. One of those roles includes the vice president of clubs and organizations.
The vice president of clubs is in charge of delegating and managing all that there is to do with clubs on campus at Utah Tech. They work closely with club representatives and specific communities on campus.
Lily Leggat, a junior biochemistry-molecular biology major from South Jordan, is the sole person running for the position and is in a unique situation as she is currently serving in the role.
Changes in the Utah Tech Student Association at the beginning of the semester included the previous vice president of clubs, Shellsea Ramirez, being elected to student body president, allowing Leggat to interview and be placed into the open clubs position a few months ago.
Prior to Leggat’s promotion, she was a club representative. She was then promoted to a pro temp position that worked directly under the vice president and would fill in whenever needed.
“If the VP of clubs was ever unavailable, I would go and fill in for her. If she couldn’t lead a meeting, I would be the one leading the meeting,” Leggat said. “It’s kind of been like steps leading up to where I am now, club representative to pro temp to campaigning for it.”
Maya Martinez, a sophomore management major from Salt Lake City, is currently the club representative for arts and creative expression. Martinez expressed how important the position is for the campus community.
“I think it’s an important and a very good position to have because we really do just reach out to people, and our big thing is just making sure everyone finds their place in the community,” Martinez said. “We have so many meetings, and we talk about opening as many clubs as possible because we want people to know that there’s a variety, they don’t have to stick to one thing.”
Annie Brown, a freshman design major from West Jordan, is a student experiencing college for the first time. She explained that club information can be confusing and hard to find for new students.
“One problem I’ve noticed is that it’s hard to get information about clubs, and after Club Rush, I rarely hear anything about them,” Brown said. “If they are willing to make club information more easy to access, that would be the best thing for students on campus.”
When asked about what she wants to focus on the most as vice president of clubs, Leggat said she always comes back to one of her main campaign pillars, which is to listen.
“I really want to prioritize taking in club president feedback,” Leggat said. “I want to somehow set up a way to hear club feedback and integrate that into when we’re making decisions.”
She also shared her intention to become an advocate for those already involved in clubs and to represent them well when meeting with the university executives.
“I advocate for clubs at executive meetings and with higher-ups,” Leggat said. “I kind of get to be this branch of UTSA, and then I bring it back to everybody.”
When asked about what Utah Tech students should know about clubs, she explained that it is the best place to find your people while at college.
“It’s so different from high school, because you’re not with the same people all day, every day,” Leggat said. “You’re changing in every walk of life. So clubs are a good place to find your group.”
Voting for all student body positions will start March 2, and polls will close on March 4 at 5 p.m. You can vote here.
