College of Arts & Sciences Senator Candidate

Dominic Sandell

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Preston Luniewski / The Avion

Dominic Sandell

Sophomore, BS Aerospace Physiology

"I am dedicated to the advancement and engagement of all programs in COAS. This will be through planning a Scientist Week, getting more companies that apply to our programs at the Career Expo, and providing even more resources for students to get more involved in research and labs earlier on. This past semester, I have engaged with several organizations on campus, such as FCA and ERT, while starting my own club, CKI. Additionally, I am a part of the Honors program and have consistently earned a 4.0, so the additional work is not only manageable but welcomed. It is time for COAS to get the attention it deserves. We have more programs than the other colleges and the most unique programs in the world with Aerospace Physiology and Security and Intelligence programs. Elect Dominic Sandell for COAS Senator, and we will get the appreciation we deserve."

  • What makes you a qualified candidate for this position?

    "Every Senator should aim to make the experiences of their constituents more enjoyable and successful while they are here. One of the primary ways this can be done is through the many labs and research projects we have within our college.

    These past two semesters, I have been involved with not only several labs within my program but have l also worked with labs from other programs as well. These labs include Anatomy and Physiology, Nanotechnology, Aerospace Physiology, and numerous more. I have also familiarized myself with several members of faculty from different departments so that if I am elected, communication will be smooth, and any problems that I convey to the faculty can be promptly handled. These individuals include the department head of Human Factors and Neurobiology and the program coordinator for Aerospace Physiology. These connections will prove invaluable when making changes and planning events for our college.

    Additionally, I already have ample experience with leading organizations and groups of individuals through establishing my own club on campus and I recently organized and held an international confrere with approximately 1,000 individuals present. Furthermore, in the course of establishing my club, I communicated with several individuals within the SGA and Student Engagement Office to the point that I am familiar with the going-ons of their environment and am confident I will be able to work seamlessly with them."

  • What is the purpose of the SGA Student Senate?

    "The student senate, in general, is responsible for advocating the issues and problems of their respective constituents to the faculty and the higher authorities of SGA. Though this can certainly be broken down significantly more. A major part of the student senate is to positively and significantly impact the college experience of their constituents. This can be in the form of stress relief during exams, encouraging or advertising research opportunities, creating fun and entertaining events to celebrate the student's accomplishments, and overall, helping the students to make the most of their time at Embry Riddle.

    Another major portion of the Student Senates' job is to answer the problems that arise for the students. This has been handled in the past with office hours and open forums for students. I think that another great way this could be addressed is by using an open Instagram account that is just for submitting problems within the colleges, with the expectation that not everything can be resolved as we all hope. This account would function similarly to the unofficial posting board account, Riddle Regards. Overall, the Student Senate should aim to positively and significantly impact the lives of the students."

  • How do you plan to elevate and communicate issues that your constituents are concerned about to the Senate?

    "As stated previously, I think an excellent way for the students to communicate their concerns with the senate could be through a public Instagram account where its sole purpose is to convey issues and problems within the colleges. I also think that open office hours are certainly a decent way to provide a solution for the students, they just need to be advertised more openly. One way this could be handled is by having a representative from the senate speak at the Univ 101 class and educate the students on the different opportunities that are available to them. This could also increase the involvement that the general student body and incoming students have with the SGA.

    Furthermore, I am aware that most, if not all, of the programs, have regular communication with their students through email blasts and general announcements. This form of communication can be utilized by the senate to send out messages to their constituents. Obviously, this will not get the attention of every student, but it will certainly get more than if it was not done at all."

  • How will you improve the ERAU experience for your constituents?

    "As mentioned previously, the Senators should always aim to positively impact the student's experience at Riddle and within their college. I have several ideas in mind for how to go about this, such as increasing lab and research participation, creating a more modern way for the students to voice their concerns, and creating more fun events for the COAS students as the COAS Senator, one of my primary missions would be to encourage joint program research projects and the education of all the amazing opportunities that are available to us. This will be through working with the faculty to have clearly stated prerequisites for their labs and then providing resources for the students to reach those requirements. I will also encourage the programs to hold seminars for the different faculty projects and to highlight the projects of the students. There is already a similar concept within the AP program, so I will build upon that.

    As stated previously, incorporating social media, specifically Instagram, into the process of receiving the grievances of the students would increase the participation significantly. Not only would this create a new platform to connect with the students, but it will also alleviate any miscommunication when speaking face to face.

    Furthermore, I intend to host the first STEM and Humanities week. The week will include several events for all programs in the college such as speakers from each respective field, workshops to advertise the opportunities that each program has, and many more! This will be further reinforced by the encouragement and inclusion of more businesses and companies at the Career Expo that are interested in the programs of COAS and not just engineers. Overall, I intend to build up the opportunities and college experience for the students of COAS to a never before seen before."