Senator rides waves of committee meetings for FS students

By Morgan Steger
The Collegian

Student Senator Shelley Young put her four semesters of leadership experience to the test this past summer guiding rafters through the rushing rapids of the Kings River.

Young, a senior majoring in recreation administration and leisure studies, said working for Kings River Expeditions was an intense experience, especially since she had only whitewater rafted once before in her life.

Though she is used to handling tough decisions as a senator for the College of Health and Human Services, she said knowing rafters depended on her to guide them through water traveling 20,000 cubic feet per second was humbling. “I’d never been responsible for the life of someone else,” Young said.

This semester Young has switched focus from cutting through rough waters to navigating committee meetings.

Of the many committees she works with, Young said she derives the most enjoyment from serving as the student representative for University Food Services. “I feel like it progresses and does the most of any committee,” she said.

Among the recent accomplishments of University Food Services is the opening of Panda Express in the USU, the addition of a salad bar at Round Table Pizza, and the introduction of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Starbucks coffee to the menu of the Union Snack Bar, she said.

In this, her fifth and last semester of serving as a senator, Young said she has put extra emphasis on talking with the students she serves, both in group settings and individually. “It doesn’t matter how many flyers you copy, it’s how many students you talk to,” she said.

Young has been speaking to University 1 classes, introducing new students to the habits they must develop to grasp success at a four year university, and talking with international students, preparing them to enjoy student life at an American college, she said.

Young loves knowing what’s going on around campus and sees herself as an information resource for students who want to get involved in campus events, she said.

Her role at Fresno State, as a student senator, is to make herself approachable, she said.

“[Being a student senator] means being someone who is accessible,” she said.

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