Luke Robinson, a first-year economics major, has been appointed the Student Government Association’s chief of staff to the president. This position, utilized by many other student governments across the nation, was recently created by current President Cameron Onumah.
Onumah plans for Robinson to play an “integral role in helping to make sure that our new office runs smoothly and working very closely with committees. Where I (Onumah) can’t be, or Richie can’t be, he will be.” The position will require Robinson to complete a wide array of tasks on a daily basis. His (Robinson’s) assessment of his major duties was “that inconvenient or impossible for the executive board to do.”
Robinson is no stranger to SGA. He served as interim senator for first-year Sarah Funke during fall term. Upon Funke’s return Robinson said, “I still wanted to stay in student government, and this (Chief of Staff) is what Cameron proposed.” This interim term is what prepared Robinson for the Chief of Staff position. During this time Robinson “learned how SGA works and its role on campus.”
In the United States, the White House chief of staff position, created in 1946 as “assistant to the president,” is the highest ranking position of any employee in the White House. Often referred to as “the power behind the throne,” this particular employee is tasked with overseeing the White House staff, making the president’s schedule and generally advising the president.
Essentially, Robinson will be doing a lot of leg work for the executive board to ensure student government operations run smoothly. The position is appointed each year by the SGA president.