Katelyn Hadder, the elected student services director from SGA campaign We Are UT for the upcoming academic year, is a renaissance woman. A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Hadder is a junior in special education with hopes of specializing in deaf education. One of the youngest candidates on this year’s ballot, Hadder expressed that her passion for being a strong supporter of those around her is at the heart of her offer as one of the student body’s executive leaders.

DB: Why did you decide to run for this position?

KH: Both students and service, as cliché as it sounds, are just really important to me. I’ve prided myself on really being involved in service organizations because it’s just something that’s so close to my heart. It’s something that I want to do, it’s something I care a lot about. Having the ability to be able to really spearhead student services programs at the university is just something that I really feel called to do, it’s something that I have a passion (for) and (am) going to be able to do and do it well.

DB: What major issues do you plan to address?

KH: The biggest thing we’re going to have to address, just because their term is coming to an end, is the student fees issue. That’s actually something our current student services director, Grant Davis, has been working very closely with. So, probably continuing in his footsteps to ensure that the goals of SGA, in regards to letting student fees be in the hands of students, is continuing to progress and move forward, and that’s something we can actually accomplish.

DB: What aspects of past student services directors’ terms do you think went well and what could have been done better?

KH: Grant (Davis) has focused a lot on school spirit, which I think is great… What I would like to do is definitely continue that with school involvement and school spirit and rallying people together, but I think my biggest thing is making sure that everybody that wants to be involved can be… SGA, and student services in particular, have had a cliché of being cliquey and political… Lots of times, I feel like it keeps us divided, it keeps us from getting everything done that we could get accomplished.