Timothy Reid, a [member of Alpha Phi Alpha,] third-year in business administration and the current student body vice president, is running for student body president this year. His running mate is Allison Markert, a second-year in natural resources who currently serves as a student senator for the College of Natural Resources and also sits in the Executive Cabinet as chair for the Committee on Title IX.
Reid and Markert’s campaign slogan is “For the Potential of the Pack.” Reid said the campaign plans to operate under the five pillars of fostering a spirit of connectivity, equity and inclusion on campus; alleviating students’ mental health needs; easing the academic stressors of students; promoting greater student access to resources; and elevating the quality of the student experience.
“Our campaign reflects a holistic focus on student wellness and student connection to resources,” Reid said. “We want to focus on all aspects of student life in the student experience at NC State and really just empower students with the tools and the resources necessary so that they can achieve their fullest potential and the best version of their experience possible.”
Reid said he wants to reestablish the Racial Equity Town Hall, which aims to increase support for religious groups on campus, widen dining options for students with religious and dietary restrictions, promote interfaith prayer spaces on campus and rename buildings that were named after prejudiced individuals.
To address the mental health needs of students, Markert said she wants to focus on supplying each college with counselors and expanding long-term counseling services within the Counseling Center. She and Reid want to advocate for education on mental health and campus mental health resources in college introduction courses.
“With the vast amount of resources that we have here on campus, being able to format that for new students as a foundational level and a foundational piece to their education to know that this is something that is going to continue and grow on within their academic experience here at State,” Markert said.
Reid said he wants to permanently incorporate wellness days into future academic calendars, explore the option of wellness weekends and establish parameters and protections on what professors can schedule and assign around wellness days.
Following the Select Department on Mental Health Intervention’s literature review this semester, Markert said the campaign would task the Student Mental Health Task Force with following through with the recommendations made in the review.
“What makes that different from other implemented NC State higher institutional organizations is the fact that this is going to be a student-led institution, which is really important because no one else can speak for student needs better than the students themselves,” Markert said.
Reid said he hopes to reimplement the Enhanced Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading option for students experiencing special circumstances and extend the Census Date deadline, lengthening the period of which withdrawn courses do not appear in records from two weeks to three or four weeks. He also advocates for establishing a University-wide standard for attendance in order to establish predictable and fair expectations for attendance across all classes and establishing a standard for quality advising between all colleges.
Reid said he hopes to expand the Pack Meal Share Program to an online portal, where students can donate meal swipes at any time and any place during the year, as well as expand dining dollar rollover between the spring and fall semesters.
