Q&A with incoming URG president Jeremy Levine
The following is a question and answer session with next year’s University Residence Government president, Jeremy Levine. Levine is currently a junior studying business administration. Next year, he’ll be among the first students that get to live in the newly-constructed Marshall Hall. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Tell me about yourself.
I’m a junior here at Towson. I’ll be a senior next year. This year, I was the director of resident advocacy, which that position basically works with representing the students in terms of resolutions and trying to get change on campus. You’re the liaison between the 5,000 or so on-campus residents and administration. It’s my third year in University Residence Government. I was a building representative in Douglass my freshman and sophomore years, and as a junior I made the step to be on the exec board and now next year, I’ll be the president, which oversees the whole organization. I’m really looking forward to taking that next step.
How’d you get to a point where you’re preparing to be the URG president?
My freshman year, if someone told me that I’d be in URG, let alone that I’d be president my senior year, I’d probably ask what they were smoking. But, as a freshman, my RA got me involved, she was the secretary at the time. A lot of people on my floor were running, so I thought it would be a good way to get involved my freshman year.
About halfway through my sophomore year, I realized that I love the resolution side of URG. Out of everything in URG, the advocacy was my favorite. I ran, and was lucky enough to be appointed director of resident advocacy this year. Being on exec board was a whole new beast. I compared it to being on the executive board for a residence hall but on steroids. I got to meet so many administrators and I was fortunate to experience so many things that students don’t normally get to.
What should students know about URG?
Students should know that URG—that everyone is a member, everyone should have a voice. If you guys want something changed on campus, any resident, no matter where they live, they have a right to write a resolution to make change on campus. We really increase the family feel.We say you don’t live in a dorm, you live in a residence hall. That sense of community that each building has, can really make your freshman and sophomore years a lot better. URG’s motto is, “Welcome Home,” because when you come to Towson, you’re really coming to a new home. Those councils in each residence hall are there to make your experience better.
What are your goals for next year?
I really want URG to get more of a name. Technically, every single person that lives on campus is a part of URG. We have a little under 5,000 members. But there are tons of students who live on campus, and are technically members, that have no idea what URG is. I want to work with different groups, that we haven’t in the past—get more involved with Greek life, athletics—there are over 300 student organizations on campus, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be getting our name out there. If people realize the work that we do and the impact that we have on the whole campus, they’re more likely to buy into what we can really do.
– Compiled by Cody Boteler
