The Daily Texan: If elected, what will be the biggest challenge you will face?
Thor Lund: The biggest challenge is letting students know Student Government is there to serve them. A lot of things have come up this past election cycle that shows selfishness exists. Reaching back out and saying, “we’re here for you,” and [telling students we] want to hear their concern and want to take care of them.
DT: What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing UT next year?
Lund: The issue of budget cuts and tuition costs. This is a top tier academic university and we can’t let the integrity of that be diminished in any way. We need to work with administrators. No one is in favor of tuition increase. Would you rather have a $200 increase or would you rather have budget cuts? The [proposed] increases are not as much as students think they are. It comes down to what the students want.
DT: What image do you think people have of SG and how do you plan to address it?
Lund: I think people have an image that these kids are just doing it for their resume. We need to make people know we do care about the students and the interests of students, not personal agendas.
DT: What role do you think SG plays in students’ lives at UT?
Lund: SG plays the role of advocate for the students. It’s where the communication occurs between students, administration and policies. It helps get student opinion out to people who can make change.
DT: Do you think your goals are within the scope of what SG can do?
Lund: Definitely. This process has given me a very extended look into SG. The new General Assembly is great. I’m talking with people and it seems they will be on board for making things happen.
DT: How would you describe yourself to someone who has never met you?
Lund: I’m personable. [Wills Brown and I] are good guys and people generally like us. We’re very sincere in what we try to do and accomplish. We treat every person exactly the same.
DT: If elected, what is the biggest goal you would like to accomplish?
Lund: The biggest thing is making sure the General Assembly is coherent on what goals we want to accomplish. There’s been some tension within SG. Making sure everyone is on board with what we’re doing. We have a fresh perspective and we’re very open minded. We have an opportunity to bring people together.
