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Julia Poirier 

I envision our school to have students that are proud of their degrees, administrators that assist students in a positive direction, faculty that are actively engaged with students and a student government that effectively serves its peers.
Bottom line: I want to create a community in which students want to participate and a university students can be proud of — to have a Student Government that’s involved with you!

For the past three years I have been a student government senator. My freshman year, I ran a strong campaign and won a competitive election for a senator position. Since then, my Loyola experience has revolved around USGA and listening to students. I have had various leadership positions within USGA, including chair of the Justice committee. As chair, I lead a group of five other senators to examine issues around the Jesuit Identity and social justice. I have also served on the transportation and facilities committee, the community engagement committee, and the constitutional review board.

GOALS FOR THE YEAR

Dinning Services and Environmental Sustainability

I want to improve our dinning service provider so we have food that is healthy, affordable, sustainable, open to student input and dietary restrictions, and delicious. Students have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with their current dining experiences on campus and something must be done to address this. As president, I want to work with Aramark to ensure students’ needs are being met and exceeded. Along with sustainability in our dining halls, I also want to strive for a more environmentally sustainable campus in our paper and technology trail, campus-wide effort to divert more waste from landfills, and creating a bicycle friendly campus.

Costs of a Private Institution: Tuition and Achieving Higher Four Year Graduation Rates

I would like to promote student dialogue surrounding tuition increases. While it has easily been one of the most contentious issues on Loyola’s campus, students have never mobilized against the trend of increasing tuition. Rise in tuition harms all Loyola students. I want to see either one of two solutions: A grandfathered tuition, meaning a tuition price that is locked in to your first year price, or, all tuition increases must be accompanied by a line-by-line statement showing exactly where the new revenue is being spent. Students plan financially and emotionally to have a degree handed to them after four years of a full course load at Loyola. Currently, Loyola’s four-year graduation rates are unacceptable, hovering just around 50 percent. Although administration has been proactive in cutting the core credit requirements, students understand that the real issue is embedded in the major credit requirements. This is involves bringing student concerns to each individual school within Loyola and their deans.

Increasing All Forms of Diversity at Loyola                              

Promoting diversity within a higher institution is closely tied to the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis, caring for the whole person (including in their education), and honoring one’s background and self worth. Increasing diversity concerns promotes a healthy dialogue that values the different experiences which students bring to the university both in and outside the classroom. I am striving to see a campus that is diverse in socioeconomic background, religion, race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. I think it is necessary for Loyola to have more services for promoting diversity and investment from an administrative level. Loyola should be creating an environment that is not exclusive, but thoughtful and expansive.