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Get to Know Josh Massey: Candidate for Senate (The Sequel!)

A year has passed...Here's what I've done and what I'm doing

posted over 9 years ago
Hello everyone!  Hopefully that title and tagline caught your attention. :)

My name is Joshua "Josh" Massey.  I am now a sophomore studying Computer Engineering and I am running for re-election to the SGA Senate.

A year has passed since I originally posted to myUMBC as a freshman running for election the Senate of our Student Government Association.  Now, I am returning to the ballot with a year and a half of experience on the Senate.  I first got involved in SGA the summer before my freshman year.  I joined the Senate in the October 2013 as a First Year Ambassador, I was appointed as a Senator in February 2014, and later elected to serve a full term in April 2014.

What I've Done:
  • Advocated for and delivered on much-needed upgrades to the Student Org Space, a one-time investment of $51,500 directly from the SGA. (Fall 2014 - Spring 2015)
  • Worked with the Learning Resources Center to expand Supplementary Instruction (SI) sessions (Fall 2013 - Spring 2014)
  • Assisted with two ProveIT! projects, one of which intended to add Sunday hours to the University Center's Starbucks.  Although the project did not win the vote, Chartwells (our dining contractor) saw the great interest and decided to open Starbucks later during the week, which has been a tremendous success.  Even though we did not resubmit an application, the former ProveIT! project continues to gain attention, and I will continue to advocate for this. (Fall 2013 - Spring 2014)

What I am DOING: (note - I did not say "planning to do")
  • Implementing the "SGA Initiative Tracker" -- a website accessible to the entire UMBC community and beyond that will serve as a public interface of the SGA, making SGA a more transparent organization.

I also have a number of different initiative ideas.  Two of the things I am particularly interested in are:
  • Looking into the possibility of having more software we use for classes available to students for download on personal computers
  • Increasing the transparency of the organization by moving a couple of meetings to public spaces

Lastly, before you all get to asking me questions, I would like to share the answer to the last question on the application I filled out when I applied to run for Senate:

What I really want students to know about me is...
...that I am a real person. I am not a politician.  I am student that is committed to seeing success of, not only the SGA, but also the personal successes of each and every one of you.  I am truly passionate about working with you to make this a better place for all of us.  I believe it is a privilege that we attend an institution such as UMBC where we are given many opportunities to mold our own experiences and shape our community -- this privilege should not be taken lightly.  Also know that I enjoy taking on new initiatives, if you have any new ideas, send me an email (joshua.massey@umbc.edu).  I’m happy to work with you!

Want to learn more about me?  Feel free to:
Also feel free to leave a question below.  Thanks in advance for your continued support!
(edited over 9 years ago)
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