Student Government President Chris McCarthy and Vice President Elbin Keeppanasseril are passing the torch of leadership to juniors Nick Chmura and Luke Filloramo this upcoming semester.
Chmura, a finance major from Ohio, and Filloramo, a New Yorker studying business management and minoring in finance, met their freshman year and built a friendship through mutual friends and a wealth of shared interests and activities.
First a participant in the UT Finance Committee and then its chair, newly-elected president Chmura was the first to encourage the involvement of his vice president in student government as a senator.
The motivation of the two friends in running for their current position was rooted deeply in their desire to represent and address the concerns of the student body in which they had become so heavily invested.
Both aspiring business owners, Chmura and Filloramo felt they could at once serve their fellow students and develop invaluable management skills by taking up the mantles of president and vice-president.
They stated that it was not the outward prestige or accompanying stipend of heading student government that excited them the most, but rather the opportunity to grow as effective leaders.
“This is a great chance to learn management experience and build a businessman’s toolbox of skills,” said Chmura.
Chmura intends to put these skills to entrepreneurial use sooner rather than later this August and is establishing betterboo.com, a social networking site devoted to helping people select gifts for friends and loved ones.
Because of the heavy involvement of the two juniors in campus activities and their extensive contacts within student government and the larger UT community, Chmura and Filloramo had no need to use fliers in their campaigning efforts. Relying upon well-established reputations, word of mouth and the use of Facebook, they were able to conduct what they termed “a people’s campaign.”
UT popular support carried them to a victory of a 42 percent margin over the 38 percent and 20 percent margin over their competition. “Everyone did an unbelievable job in helping us,” Filloramo said.
Capable speakers who enjoy open interaction with their fellow students, the two are confident of the many strengths they will bring to their new positions, are not intimidated by the responsibilities of leadership and are familiar with the channels of authority at UT.
Both president and vice president are dedicated members of the UT Entrepreneurship Club, of which Filloramo’s twin brother Jake is president, and have learned much from other individuals in positions of authority and leadership.
“We want people to know they can count on us for following through and getting stuff done,” affirmed Chmura.
Although they intend to build their agenda around the input of the student body they know so well, Chmura and Filloramo have already established some underlying initiatives for their campaign.
One of their major priorities will be to implement policies of impact reduction, such as recycling innovations, to help the campus adjust and thrive under changing conditions. Firm believers in the importance of global awareness, they also hope to guide UT students to a better understanding of international events through various programs and guest speakers.
Overall, though, Chmura and Filloramo seek to define their campaign through active innovation and their conviction that the potential for change and improvement knows no bounds.
Before embarking on their ambitious campaign of innovation, the new leaders of SG will be briefed on their positions by their predecessors and Megan Frisque of OSLE. Having worked closely with both Chmura and Filloramo in student government, graduating senior and retiring president Chris McCarthy is confident in their leadership skills.
“One thing about this job is you really need to work well with a wide variety of people” he explained. “They definitely have that skill.”
In his own time leading student government, McCarthy is proudest of having helped to institute projects enhancing life for students on campus. These include the negotiation of a car rental program with Hertz, the funding of the hugely popular McNiff bicycle program and the installation of the Blockbuster Express in Vaughn lobby.
An entrepreneurship major, McCarthy is faced with a number of career prospects upon graduating from UT.
He is currently considering management opportunities in corporations like Dunkin’ Donuts, Liberty Mutual and New Generation Energy.
Although the future is bright for the graduating senior, McCarthy recalls his student government experience at UT with fondness.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” he said of his involvement as president. “It provided me with an amazing transferable skill set.”
Jeffrey Palmer can be reached at jeffrey.palmer@spartans.ut.edu.