‘Connect student organizations’
Even though Will Fortanbary has never been involved with Student Government before, he brings plenty of leadership experience into his vice presidential campaign.
The third-year media art student’s platform is based on three major ideas: grow, connect and serve.
“I want to connect student organizations with Student Government and the administration,” Fortanbary said. “I want to grow leaders to continue to push USC forward, and I’d like to see a service piece added to the USC senate, so they can be a liaison to the different service projects and groups on campus.”
Fortanbary knows he has only one year to bring about change in SG, and he said he wants to grow and train underclassmen to ensure they are ready for leadership roles.
He also plans to facilitate a greater connection between student organizations and the administration. According to Fortanbary, the current executive board serves as a liaison between the two, but the job is too large for three people to handle.
If he is elected, Fortanbary will plan a meeting with leaders of all campus organizations to connect directly to administrators. They will have a chance to ask questions about the effect that campuswide initiatives will have on their clubs.
“The long-term goal is to have the ballroom once a semester — have President (Harris) Pastides and the Student Government president stand up and talk to the president and treasurer of every student organization to say, ‘This is where the university is headed,’ and also have an open mic there,” Fortanbary said.
But since that goal would be difficult to implement in a short time, Fortanbary said he wants to start with smaller meetings involving SG and 20 to 30 student leaders.
To increase the emphasis on service within SG, Fortanbary hopes to create a new position in student senate. That person would be responsible for coordinating events in partnership with other student groups.
Fortanbary’s experiences at USC include being the lead graphic designer and intern for Carolina Dining. He is also the president of Garnet Report, a student-run blog about Gamecocks athletics. He also does freelance graphic and video design. His clients have mostly been faith-based but include companies as well-known as the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and Charlotte Panthers and Chick-fil-A.
His video skills are on display in a rap video promoting his campaign released late Sunday.
Fortanbary thinks the skills he’s learned from graphic design, especially managing his time and working around other people’s schedules, will serve him well as vice president.
Knowing he is new to Student Government, Fortanbary has met with current members to learn about the procedures that it follows.
“A lot of times when an outsider comes in, they want to rework the whole system,” Fortanbary said. “I want to sit down with the students already in Student Government and say, ‘What’s going well? Where can we move forward?’”
He said he has gained experience listening to student concerns and making changes in his role with Carolina Dining.
“I see the opportunity and the potential USC has for growth, and I’m willing to invest time and energy to make this campus grow and push it to greater things,” Fortanbary said.