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As time ends for the Zuccari/Peters administration, the pair reflect on their lives since being sworn into office last March.
Since being elected at West Virginia University, Student Government Association President Jason Zuccari and Vice President Whitney Rae Peters have struggled balancing duties as students and student leaders.
With elections approaching in February, Zuccari and Peters have an opportunity to complete the work they started as the spotlight shifts on others.
JASON ZUCCARI
When Zuccari’s alarm clock goes off at 7:30 a.m., he gets dressed for his busy day ahead. Arriving at his office by 8:30 a.m., Zuccari returns phone calls and answers e-mails for the better part of the morning. By the end of the day, 30 to 50 more e-mails are sent to him, he said.
"Trying to stay on top of everything is a game," Zuccari said. "If my BlackBerry dies for a couple of hours, and I turn it back on, it starts buzzing like crazy."
University President James P. Clements regularly texts him to ask for opinions, Zuccari said. They talk on the phone three times a week to catch up on issues around campus.
Zuccari, who serves as the student representative to the University’s Board of Governors, said he was proud of having had the experience of being on the board.
Zuccari said he attends at least two meetings per day with faculty and staff who are asking for his opinions. Also, prospective SGA candidates ask him for advice on running a successful campaign, he said.
After spending three years involved with student government, Zuccari said it will be sad to leave the position in February.
"I’m definitely going to be sad because I see this as the journey of my college experience," he said. "I feel like I’ve come full circle."
Zuccari offers his advice to the next president by telling him or her to manage their time and work hard for what they believe.
University First Lady Beth Clements sang praises for Zuccari at the Toy Mountain and Students Helping Other People event Dec. 1.
She said she and President Clements are continually impressed with how hard Zuccari works for the students. She joked that their youngest daughter, Grace, has a taken a liking to him, saying "she had good taste."
WHITNEY RAE PETERS
Every day, Peters juggles graduate school work, counseling governors, fitting in dinner and walking her dog. This does not stop her from waking up at 7:30 a.m. every morning, grabbing appropriate clothing and making it to class on time.
Peters’ life relies on organization to manage all the obstacles thrown at her. She spends a majority of Sundays planning out her busy schedule for the week in her office, she said.
"I don’t enter into a week until I’ve done all the homework for that week," she said. "Doing everything before the week’s start is the best way to deal with the unforeseen things."
The best place to reach Peters on a given day is her office. Zuccari, former and current SGA members, students and professors frequent her office.
For more than a year now, Peters has been rewriting the constitution and meeting with the Constitutional Review Committee to make changes to the "wordy" original.
"I do a lot of research on the constitution review, like finding peer institutions who have similar stuff," she said. "So far no one is similar. The closest one is Towson."
Peters said she met with members of Towson University’s SGA to improve changes to the Constitution and Elections Code review.
When Peters is not doing research or working on the constitution, she is counseling SGA’s Board of Governors members. She said she did not know how to balance class and 15 governors with political agendas at first, but she got the hang of it.
"They all complain about each other, and I didn’t realize it would be like being a peer mediator," she said. "At times I feel like a baby sitter, but I am confident I was able to teach them something while in office."
She attends daily meetings with various members of the University and offers advice to those wishing to run for SGA. She also speaks with Clements weekly.
As her term comes to a close, Peters reflects on her time at SGA and her decision to not to run for re-election. She is asked 100 times per day why she decided not to run again, she said. She hopes to still be involved with SGA to make sure the new administration is interpreting the constitution correctly.
"It’s time to let others step up and serve," she said. "I am starting a graduate assistantship so it’s time to grow up and focus on my future."
Getting things started early and establishing a good relationship with the BOG is advice she offers for the next vice president to take her place.
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