For two years in a row, you’ve heard the term “DanMo StudCo.” Next year Dan Mo, or Dan Morrison, will be the President of the student body. Learn a little bit more about the President leading Student Council and the person behind the presidency.
What would you like to change/improve in StudCo?
This year I would love to see Council incorporate more students’ views in our daily operations. While StudCo churns out great events and initiatives, these are often formed in committees with little to no input from various communities we are charged to serve. We run on assumptions and conjecture. I’ll be working heavily with the Representative body and our marketing team to help gather student feedback on what needs should be addressed, what projects would be beneficial, and what Council can do to create tangible results in students lives. Rather than delegating events from the top of Council to be tailored for the masses, I believe we have to go to the masses and feed that input into the organization.
What do you think is great about StudCo?
I love Student Council for the broad base of issues it tackles. There is a place on Council for anyone with any interest and passion, and those who join council have an opportunity to work hands on with the things they love at UVA. It’s absolutely incredible to sit down with a group of students who have been working on increasing student attendance at UVA sporting events in the morning, a team publicizing green initiatives in the afternoon, and a task force looking into ways to improve the user-friendliness of SIS that night. Every committee has its own flavor- it’s great to see how those blend together.
Are you interested in government/where do you see yourself in the future?
While I think government plays an important role in all our lives, it’s not something I aspire to work in. I’ve loved being in student government over the past decade (I’ve been running elections since 6th grade) and am blessed at all the opportunities it has afforded me and the viewpoints it has given me. Ultimately I came here to UVA to study business and would love an opportunity to work in private enterprise… But that’s about as far as I’ve gotten in terms of direction. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually.
What are some of your hobbies/passions?
I’ve always been a fan of pet projects- when I was a little kid my big brother and I would make our own home movies, build Lego monstrosities, write our own books (I specialized in pop-up), and even program our own video games. We definitely had way too much time on our hands. That creativity carries into my life today- I still dabble in a good amount of photo and video editing. If I’m ever stressed or looking for a break from school work, I’ve always found a creative project is a perfect getaway. Example: during a take-home final for my first round of Commerce classes I ended up throwing together a facebook photo album in the form of a children’s book titled “Dan Goes to Comm School.” It was laced with stupid photoshop pictures and ridiculous descriptions; I updated it about once a day and tagged my friends that appeared in the story. Over the course of the week I had people giving me suggestions on the plot and asking what would happen next, so it was a fun and interactive way to get a break from the exam. Definitely didn’t help my grade though.
Describe yourself in three words:
Carefree: I’ve always subscribed to the motto that one should take not his work seriously but himself seriously. I certainly throw myself into my work, but at the end of the day I try my best not to let it define who I am. If things work out- great. If not, learn from them and keep on moving.
Imaginative: I love Bobby Kennedy’s line “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” The world’s way too big of a place to simply take things at face value. Opportunities are everywhere as long as you’re creative enough to see them.
Orange: My hair is fiery orange. My eyes are blue. I was genetically predisposed to be a ‘Hoo.
What are some of your favorite things to do around Charlottesville?
To be honest, my absolute favorite activity is visiting the ducks in the pond by the Newcomb parking garage. As silly as it sounds, one of my favorite childhood memories was feeding the local ducks at a pond near my house with my Dad- going over to the Dell pond is a blast from the past for me.
Other than that, I’m pretty pumped about spring time in Charlottesville because there are so many adventures to be had. A few of my favorites are quarry jumping, running downtown to Belmont BBQ, and playing golf. One of my best gameplans is just to hang out around central grounds on a bright afternoon and see where the day takes me. The more impromptu the journey, the more likely I’ll be down.