Name		Taylor Hartick
		Major		International Politics and History
		Year		3rd
		Country		Canada
		Elected(Re)		September 2008
		Phone Number		+49 421 200 5441
		Email Address		This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Personal Statement

Dear Mercatorians,

First of all, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you all for electing me as one of your representatives in the Student Parliament.  As I haven’t had a chance to meet all of you in person, I will take this time to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about what I hope to do this year as a parliamentarian.  To answer the classic introductory questions I shall say that my name is Taylor, my major is IPH and I come from Canada. Oh yeah, and I’m a second year.  By that doesn’t tell you very much, so let me elaborate.

I came to Jacobs because it’s small, international and transdisciplinary. I stayed because I enjoyed the IPH program, I like the people, and because the Ryan Air flights are fantastic.  And I got involved in Parliament, because as great as this university is, I believe there is still a lot to improve upon. In fact, I think that’s perhaps the most exciting thing about Jacobs: it’s young enough, and small enough, that there is a lot of potential for student involvement in shaping the development of the university. One obvious example would be the curriculums reform from last year, in which the Academic Affairs Committee was able to represent student interests and help pass important reforms to the undergraduate academic program. But the university can only be changed if people are willing to step up and to encourage others to get active, and that’s where I see my main role as a parliamentarian. Yes, I am a representative for Mercator, but at the same time, I hope to use that role not simply to represent others, but to help others get active themselves. It’s about representation on issues that require a representative, and about encouraging involvement on issues that have room for broader participation.

On a more specific level, I will be the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC). Last year the AAC was one of the most active committees on Parliament, and I hope to continue that legacy this year. The AAC works to represent student interests in any academic related issues. As such, we meet with faculty and the administration to present policy proposals and work to improve academics in general.

Ultimately, however, I am here to represent student concerns both in the parliament and in Mercator College. If you have a concern or a suggestion that you would like to raise, email me, or phone me, or speak to me in the servery, or on the path, or in whatever way works best for you, and I will do what I can to make sure that concern is heard. If you take the initiative to voice your concerns, and to follow through with them, I will do my part.

Take care and good luck with the rest of the year,

Taylor Hartrick.