Acorn

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: TRUE DREW

Media Credit: Charlotte Hammond

You might see him skateboarding down the path on his way to class, discussing a bill at a Student Government Association meeting, working late nights at The Space, in a meeting with Trustees or just hanging out at Earth House. Erik Emdur is, to say the least, versatile. However, as president of the SGA, Emdur will be the first to tell you this doesn't put him above any other kid eating at The Commons or paying too much for textbooks. He's just another Drewid.

"Students feel more comfortable with someone they see as a peer than with someone they see as an administrator," he says, about his style of leadership.

It's because of this driving principal that Emdur is not your typical SGA president. He doesn't wear a suit and tie everyday, and you're more likely to find him in the University Center instead of Mead Hall. And to Emdur, that's the key. "I pay more attention to the students," he says. "Deciding who to spend more time with is difficult, but I can't represent opinions of students without spending time to find out what their opinions are."

To SGA Elections chair Gary DiClementi, Emdur does just that. "The one thing nobody could ever accuse Erik of is not caring," DiClementi says. "He always has the students' best interests in mind, and make no mistake, he works tirelessly on whatever the dominant student concern at that time is."

The most recent concern Emdur's taken on is the "greenness" of Drew. He has big plans and high hopes, including meeting with the various environmental groups on campus to open up discussions about how to improve Drew's friendliness to the world around us. But beyond his role as president, Emdur tries to make change happen anyway he can. "Personally, I'm always careful about lights and water and my recycling habits," he says. This also includes trying to light that fire underneath the feet of others. "There are tons of ways to motivate faculty and students to care. People feel helpless, but there are tons of things you can do," he says with a cool intensity.  

The environment is only one issue that Emdur has tackled during his tenure as the head of the SGA-a title Emdur at first hadn't planned to hold one day. "I wasn't going to run originally, but I had a great number of people supporting me," he says. "It really was the encouragement from others."

Continued...

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