Sophomore political science major, Brennan Pouliot, 20, will be shadowing under Alex Fries, current student senate speaker.
On May 1, 2017 the new session of Student Senate will officially begin and Pouliot will take on the position of student senate speaker.
“I decided to run because I’ve always been really passionate about Student Senate and serving students and I feel that the speaker position allows me to maximize this,” Pouliot said.
Prior to being elected as student senate speaker for Session 39, Pouliot was involved within senate and throughout the campus.
“My freshman year I was part of Student Senate and was on the judicial affairs council, health and wellness council, and SAFC. I was the senator for Williamson Hall, so I was invested in hall council and the different events that we put on. This year I became the judicial affairs council chairperson,” he said.
Pouliot has also worked with UNH Police, Student Legal Services, and reviewing the Students Rights, Rules and Responsibilities (SRRR).
Currently, he is a panel member and student advisor for the Office of Community Standards (OCS).
As for activities outside of Student Senate and leadership, Pouliot said he enjoys sports and being active.
“I played baseball and soccer throughout high school and have continued as much as possible at UNH,” he said. “I try to play as many intramural sports as possible. It keeps me in shape and I think it’s always good to take a little break in our hectic schedules to enjoy our time here.”
Pouliot credits his father for inspiring him to be so involved within his own community here at UNH.
“My dad is a police officer in Goffstown, where I grew up. It’s a relatively small town, so you know a lot of the people. There’s a real sense of community and my dad always did a great job promoting this,” he said.
Pouliot also shared,“Being a police officer is a selfless job and requires a great deal of sacrifice and service to others. Service to others and responsibility are two concepts I was taught early on and my whole family is really committed to that. That’s how my brothers and I were taught growing up and I’m glad I was able to find a place like UNH where I can share this and look to better my community.”
In response to specific duties and responsibilities for the upcoming Student Senate session, Pouliot will be running the Student Senate meetings. His job will be to make sure that the meetings are run properly and efficiently. According to Pouliot, he will work with administration outside of Student Senate to make sure that the resolutions passed are addressed with the appropriate people.
“I’m involved in a lot of aspects, including SAFC, public relations, internal senate matters, and other aspects. Fortunately I’ll have a team of officers that I work with to accomplish all the goals that we’ve set out to [do],” he said.
In terms of specific goals, Pouliot would like to increase membership within the senate and also increase Student Senate’s publicity.
“I think it’s really important for students to see the progress that Student Senate achieves and the initiatives that we pursue on their behalf,” Pouliot said.
