Associated Student Government vice presidential hopefuls Patrick Dawson, Tommy Smithburg and Devon Pratt are promising to be more than just another name on the ticket.
ASG created the position of vice president last spring, and this election is the first time the vice presidential candidates will run with the presidents. Once sworn in, the vice president oversees ASG directors and chairmen in a role current ASG President Neal Sales-Griffin has dubbed the “get-it-done machine.”
Devon Pratt
ASG vice presidential candidate Devon Pratt said he’s the perfect counterpoint to running mate Luke Adams’s inimitable personality. He described himself as “a little more reclusive” than Adams, but added that the two friends balance each other out.
“I’m from liberal California, he’s going to join the Navy,” he said. “It’s a good working dynamic because we always find common ground.”
An Eagle Scout and French horn player, Pratt became ASG senator for Sargent Hall last year and worked with Sales-Griffin on creating the vice president position, he said.
Students should remember ASG is a student group, and decisions that will impact student life need to come directly from the students themselves, Pratt said.
“We’re all paying the Student Activities Fee,” he said. “It definitely touches every student, whether students see one speaker a year or they’re part of something the size of DM.”
When making choices for ASG, it’s important to consider the financial consequences and look at things through a cost-benefit analysis, the economics and English major said.
“There are some great ideas,” he said. “But the question is ‘Is there a better idea?’ We only have limited time and limited money.”
Andrew Varrenti, former president of Sargent, said Pratt is not only the best person to “interpret Luke and communicate his ideas,” but would work hard to do a good job.
“He has the drive to actually make the job work,” he said. “This isn’t a gimmick.”
Tommy Smithburg
When Delta Upsilon faced scrutiny after the fraternity hired midget wrestlers for a rush event last winter, Tommy Smithburg, DU’s president at the time, learned all about “leadership through crisis,” the Weinberg junior said.
While Smithburg resigned as president, the experience taught him the importance of “giving people a vision to believe in,” he said.
DU member Collin Davis said he wasn’t surprised to hear the “leadership-oriented” Smithburg was running for vice president along with presidential candidate Mike McGee.
“Handling a frat getting in trouble is not the same as being vice president,” the Communication sophomore said. “But it certainly trained him in running an organization.”
When Smithburg became ASG operations chairman last fall, he almost immediately proposed the development of an airport ride share service.
“There are lots of different services we can do, everything from picking up a shovel and planting a tree to consulting somebody or planning the ASG shuttle or tutoring kids,” he said. “There are so many things students can do on campus that are rewarding not just for themselves but for the community.”
Whether he’s working on legislation for ASG, practicing his beat boxing skills or jamming on Rock Band, Smithburg is a “nice, normal dude,” Davis said.
In order to bring change to ASG, students need to take themselves seriously, “but do it lightheartedly,” Smithburg said. He said he’s excited about working on new projects and hearing what students want from the organization.
“I’m going to do everything to get my hands dirty and make it happen,” he said.
Patrick Dawson
The Rainbow Alliance co-president from Middletown, New Jersey might have a slight advantage in understanding what it takes to be a vice president – his running mate Bill Pulte is the current ASG vice president. For the Weinberg junior, that just means he knows what to do and is ready to “hit the ground running,” he said.
During his freshman year, Dawson was appointed ASG senator for Rainbow Alliance. Since then, he has been an active member of the ASG executive committee, has acted as an off-campus senator and has led the off-campus caucus.
“People have really good ideas but there’s often no tangible application,” he said. “We need to focus on what we can do instead of focusing on marketing what we’re doing.”
Dawson has been co-president of the Rainbow Alliance since last Winter Quarter and was recently elected to lead again but said he will step down if elected to ASG.
Rainbow Alliance co-President Jessica Kaiser described Dawson as “committed and responsible” and “one of the funniest people I’ve met at Northwestern.”
“He approaches his work on campus with enthusiasm and direction, which is important for anyone who’s trying to tackle the scope of ASG’s issues,” she said.
