Former Students’ Assocation president Jameson Berreth has had some time to reflect on his recently completed term leading the student senate. So what was the guiding attribute that carried SA through good times and bad?

“People skills,” Berreth said. “Being able to lead and not micromanage is really important. It was a good chance to really motivate senators to meet goals.”

The Eureka native is mostly pleased with the way things turned out for SA in the past term. He said the group dealt with adversity well, citing the early Chick-fil-A issue as an early crossroads for the group. Berreth said there had to be instances where he let the senate take the discussion and carry it to an outcome. 

“I think they handled it well,” he said. 

In a year when the senate had to deal with large student organization budget cuts, the former president thought both the finance committee and senate took care of clubs and groups. He said that because the number for the budget amount moved each week, he was proud when the senate solved a $100,000 question. 

“I was very happy,” Berreth said. “We got it done.” 

Berreth says he is eyeing graduate school and a career in international development. He will likely graduate in December, double majoring in global studies and political science, and he has a desire to travel back to West Africa, where he volunteered two years ago. That’s where he has the chance to make the biggest difference, he said. 

“I have a lot of interests,” said Berreth, who put it simply. 

He has left handfuls of Post-It notes on the desk of SA president Ben Stout for tips on getting jobs accomplished, but Berreth feels strongly that Stout and Vice President Zach Neubert will do a good job. 

“It’s only a year,” Berreth said. “Work hard and work smart.”

All in all, Berreth said the ability to serve students was an honor and one he never took lightly. 

“It’s been an honor. It’s quite the responsibility but I’m glad I had the chance to do it,” he said.