‘I like getting students’ opinions’
Ryan Bailey knows what he wants.
He wants a half-order of French toast with scrambled egg whites at IHOP, where he said he always entertains the notion of switching up his order, but never actually does.
Now, he wants to be the student body vice president.
One of the first things Bailey did when he came to USC was apply for Freshman Council.
He got in, he said, after telling his interviewers a story about his mom’s unorthodox use of the center console in their car. She first used it as a cooler for sandwiches, and when that didn’t work out — and the ice melted — she filled it with water and brought in a small goldfish as a pet.
Bailey said he’s still never talked to his mom about the cooler/aquarium incident but is glad it helped him land his first role in Student Government.
Now, as a second-year political science student, he’s the chairman of the Safety and Transportation committee.
As chairman, he’s worked on an initiative to put more call boxes between campus and Five Points.
He said safety on and around campus is an issue that hit particularly close to home last week when an armed robber held up a man on Pickens Street. He lives in an apartment on the same block where the robbery happened, and said he heard screeching tires at 12:15 a.m. — the same time as the robbery.
“I should’ve run outside and been like, ‘Hey, that’s not OK. That’s not allowed. I am the chairman of the Safety and Transportation committee,’” he said. “There’s nothing more important than a sense of personal security.”
He’s trying to negotiate partnerships with the developers of personal security applications, including one that, once activated, requires users to continuously touch their phone’s screen and will notify police if they let go for more than 20 seconds. He called the initiative “a little expensive” but “super feasible.”
He says he’d like to install multispot meters around campus and include technology to allow use of cash, debit and credit cards, as well as a system to allow text messaging to put more time on meters — though he said that “isn’t 100 percent set in stone.”
“The biggest thing is just to make sure meter parking isn’t a hassle,” he said.
Bailey said one thing he’s most concerned about, though, is SG’s communication with students.
“I like getting students’ opinions,” he said. “I feel like the only vessel for communication between students and administrators is SG. I think that’s why I’m so passionate about it. It doesn’t make sense for the voices of 30,000 students to not be heard.”
Bailey said he loves to talk, and he has no problem with students contacting him with any questions or concerns they have.
He’s willing to back it up: 843-743-6486.
“Go for it,” Bailey said.