Newly created SA associate vice president position filled
James Carter, a Brown College junior, was confirmed as Student Association Associate Vice President at the April 13 meeting of the SA Senate.
As associate vice president, a position which was newly created this month by a Senate bill, Carter will assist SA President Griffin Thomas on diversity-related projects.
Thomas, a Lovett College junior, said Carter will work on Senate, student body and administration diversity. Carter is a member of the Students of Color Collective (see pg. 1). Carter also previously served as an Orientation Week coordinator and is currently a member of the Critical Thinking in Sexuality Task Force, which is working to develop a sexuality course for new students.
“James has already done a great deal on campus to make Rice a more inclusive university,” Thomas said. “He is extremely competent and brings an extraordinary knowledge base to the SA and the Senate.”
Carter said he was surprised when Thomas approached him about the position, but that he is looking forward to working for the campus community.
Carter said he had several specific projects in mind that he hoped to work on as associate vice president, such as a person of color ally training.
“[The] training that will equip students, faculty and staff with skills and tools necessary in having effective and beneficial conversations about and with students of color,” Carter said.
Carter also said he wants to address decisions that are made at the residential college level.
“I want to better involve our diversity facilitators and other student resources in our college decisions so that we don’t forget about our often marginalized students when we make decisions about party themes [and] college night themes and as we constantly evaluate what it means to be a community,” Carter said.
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