By Gerjanne Hoek
On the day of the Elections, Tess Visser still wants to share with us some of her ideas and opinions about her dream to become the new AAC Chair. Let’s see what she has to say!
Please tell us something about yourself:
Hi everyone! I’m a 4th-semester student, studying Art History, Chemistry, and Anthropology. I’m from Diepenveen, a small village in Overijssel, the east of the Netherlands.
Why are you running for the position of AAC Chair?
Academics are important to us all. I’ve always wanted to help other students with their academics as well as keeping up my own. Both in high school, and at UCR, I have tutored. In high school, I was a student advisor to first year’s students. I am running for AAC Chair because I would like to form a bridge between the students and UCR.
Are there any things you want to improve or change?
I mostly want to keep the AAC going as it is now because I feel that it has become more visible over the last year. Where I could see change happening is with the evaluation of courses. The current AAC board has started with the Track Think Tanks – an amazing way for students to directly influence a track. However, this semester, I noticed that, for instance, with the midterm evaluation participation from students is sometimes lacking, and that the way professors provide the evaluation form could be better, even though this midterm evaluation is the only opportunity for students to change the course before finishing it. An issue I personally encountered is, that, as an interdepartmental major, I can’t do an interdepartmental IRP or Honors Thesis, since the form only allows the research to count for one department. I’m still unsure whether this is an issue more students encounter, but it is something I would like to investigate.
Why should people vote for you? What makes you fit as a Chair?
I’m a listener I’m an observer. Yet, I’ve got a mind of my own. I’m organized, and I feel that I’m capable of ensuring that the goals the AAC board sets are reached. I know what UCR academic life is like, and I will use this knowledge if you elect me for AAC chair.
Any last comments?
When I applied to UCR, I stated that I wanted to give back to the community. I feel that the moment has now come for me to do just that. I’m excited, and I hope you can see me as your AAC Chair.
Gerjanne Hoek, Class of 2018, is a Politics, History and Linguistics major from Bunschoten-Spakenburg, the Netherlands.
