Student trustee/grad student Carrie Bauer is prepared for life’s options

By Heather Shaffer

At the end of the spring semester, the UIS student body elected Carrie Bauer as their student representative to the U of I Board of Trustees. This hard-working graduate student is ready for the challenges and new experiences that await her.

Carrie said is she very excited about the coming year. With a new university president, B. Joseph White, she sees changes in both vision and direction for the university in the near future.

Already, Carrie and her fellow student trustees from Urbana-Champaign and Chicago are organizing a leadership retreat in Chicago where student leaders from all three campuses will come together to discuss their roles in helping advance the U of I system as a whole.

Before being elected to the BOT, Carrie served on UIS’ Student Government Association. She decided to join the SGA during her freshman year when a position representing the College of Public Affairs and Administration opened up. Someone told Carrie she should lobby for the position, so she did and was elected. Last year, she served as SGA vice president. "I am glad I was elected to the SGA and had the honor of serving the UIS student body," she said.

Carrie has also been involved in many clubs and organizations while on campus, including the UIS College Democrats, United Students Against Sweatshops, Blue Crew, Women’s Issues Caucus, Diversity Task Force, Model Illinois Government, Model United Nations, Phi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society, and women’s volleyball team.

Carrie came to UIS in the fall of 2001 as part of the inaugural class of Capital Scholars. She chose UIS because of the chance to be part of a new program and because of its strong Political Studies department.

Carrie received her bachelor’s degree in Political Studies in May 2005. "I have enjoyed my time at UIS, in both the CAP Scholars and Political Studies programs. The personal attention and time that teachers give students is tremendous and has made for a great experience," she said.

Currently, a graduate student in Political Studies, Carrie is employed as a GA at the Women’s Center, and also works as an administrative assistant for the Athletics Department.

Carrie hopes to complete her master’s degree in Political Studies in May 2006, then plans to either attend law school or enter the work force. Either way, she feels she will be ready because of her experiences at UIS. "UIS has prepared me for each option equally -- through my classes, student groups, work experience, athletics, and much more," she said.

This summer, I am interested in learning about other people's experiences at UIS. If you’d like to share your campus experiences, please e-mail me at hshaf01s@uis.edu.