Beaird has high hopes for future

The polls just closed on Wednesday, but the re-elected SGA president has already started working on the promises he made during the campaign.

Ryan Beaird, a junior business management major from Sikeston, Mo., became the first SGA president at ASU to be elected for a second term Wednesday night.

Beaird has served on SGA since his first year when he was elected as a freshman senator.  He was named the senator of the year that year, and served as a senator at large his sophomore year.

His senior year will make his fourth and final year with SGA.

Plans that Beaird has for SGA over the next year include bringing more energy to SGA and to serve not only students, but the faculty and staff as well.

"We want to continue to pull the whole organization up to the forefront," Beaird said.  "We've showed the students how proactive we can be; now we want to show the faculty and staff the same."

During his first term as president, Beaird worked on "micro-issues," such as implementing office hours for all senators to give them time to spend towards research for their legislation.

SGA is currently working closely with the new overpass construction on campus and is working hard to insure that traffic issues are dealt with around the new economic building efficiently.

Arkansas recently voted to allow gambling across the state and Beaird is determined to make sure the funds raised from gambling go towards scholarships for students.

"I want to make sure the lottery scholarships get to our campus," Beaird said.  "Whether you agree with gambling or not, it's my responsibility to secure scholarships for current students and future students."

Beaird also said that there are many opportunities for SGA to gain ideas.

"I have contacts with other universities with some great ideas, and I think with some changes they can work at our campus, too," Beaird said.

An issue that really grabbed the attention of students during the campaign was the idea that the ASU campus could soon house an IHOP.

The restaurant would be an IHOP branded concept, similar to the Chick-Fil-A that is currently in the student union.

According to Beaird, Sodexo, the current controller of all the food on campus, will reach the end of their contract in 2010 but negotiations have already begun for a new contract.

The location that is being discussed for the IHOP is the NorthPark Quads Common Building. 

It would be an approximately 21-hour a day operation that would cater to the "night owls" on campus.

The new restaurant would also give on-campus students a closer food vendor than those in the student union.

"It's just a win-win situation," Beaird said.  "It will supply student jobs on campus and those demands for student jobs are huge right now."

Beaird said he spoke with Craig Johnson, who is the liaison for the university and Sodexo, about setting up meetings to discuss the IHOP and Johnson's reply was, "let's get to it."

"We didn't intend for it to be the strongest thing in our campaign, but the students got excited, so it will be one of the first things we accomplish," Beaird said.

Beaird is looking forward to starting a new term with plans to use everything he has learned over the past year to direct him in his upcoming term.

"I will use absolutely everything," Beaird said.  "Both good and bad will all carry forward into this new term."

Beaird also said that they have increased the responsibilities of everyone involved with SGA and that they plan to push the limits this year.

The new term also brings a new vice-president for Beaird, who he says is the most qualified candidate by far.

Kimberly Winchester, a sophomore chemistry major from Jonesboro, will replace current vice-president, Quan Poole.

"Quan is graduating and going onto law school," Beaird said.  "I'm going to miss him.  He has been an amazing vice-president and an amazing friend."

Beaird said that Winchester is extremely professional about everything and she removes herself from a situation and represents the students.

"Throughout the year, I was able to observe all of the senators and you could see the wheels spinning in Kimberly's head," Beaird said.

Beaird began involving Winchester in all of his conversations about SGA so she would be ready to go in hopes that they did win.

"She is one of the hardest working people I've met in my life," Beaird said.  "We see eye to eye on many different things."

Graduation is on the horizon for Beaird but for now he is going to focus all of his energy on SGA.

"I hope everything we do is important enough and successful enough to stay around on campus," Beaird said.