Laura Anne is a current sophomore at Tulane and is majoring in neuroscience and philosophy with a minor in Spanish. She is from the northern suburbs of Chicago and spends her summers there with her parents and four sisters. Laura Anne is running for Vice President of Student Organizations in the USG election. She is one of two female candidates in a group of 12, as well as one of two candidates who completed a workshop called Undoing Racism. The initial election for this position ended in a tie, so there will be a runoff this Tuesday, March 21st, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Q. Let’s start off with some of the basics. What is your favorite TV show? Favorite food? Favorite thing to do in New Orleans?
A. The Office, fajitas, and taking adventures on the streetcar.
Q. How would you describe yourself in 5 words or less?
A. Hardworking, dedicated, outgoing, and silly!
Q. What’s a fun fact about Laura Anne?
A. I attended Clown School for three years before coming to Tulane.
Q. Okay, now onto the serious stuff. I know that you’re interested in serving as the VP of Student Orgs next year. Do you have any other organizations that you are affiliated with on campus?
A. I was a senator on USG and I have performed research at the Tulane Medical School. I also sit on the sustainability committee, serve as an academic honor board ambassador, and am Chair of Transportation for CACTUS.
Q. Wow, it seems like you’re really involved! Do you have any off-campus experience that you think would be helpful in this position?
A. My job last summer taught me a lot about overseeing large groups of people as I managed a group of 75 lifeguards, beach staff, and sailing instructors at a beach in Chicago. Through this experience and my roles on campus, I’ve learned a lot about how to be a compassionate leader both in and outside the classroom. I care deeply for all of the people with whom I get to work and I draw on my past experiences to help be be a successful leader.
Q. If you are elected VP of Student Orgs, what would you like to change or make happen on Tulane’s campus?
A. As VP of Student Orgs, I really want to look at every organization that is funded by USG. There are organizations that have not been evaluated since the 90s and they still receive funding. Iam hoping to move organizations around so that USG will have more money to spend on organizations that fall under the Multicultural Council and the Gender & Sexuality Advisory Council, which are currently extremely underfunded and not given proper support by USG to function and survive on this campus. I want to rework the way motivation money works so that instead of being based off of the number of people in each organization, it is distributed in correlation to the number of community service hours and events each organization has. This will allow a fairer distribution of the money. I also want to promote SAPHE in the same way that CAPS and TEMS are, because SAPHE is just as important. USG needs to create a more supportive and encouraging environment for victims on campus, which will make it less scary to report sexual assault. This position will be a lot of work, but I know that I can handle it. As the only candidate in 5 years to be endorsed by both College Republicans and College Democrats, I am eager to continue to work with USG and the different leaders on this campus to create a more inclusive and supportive Tulane.