Senior Chad Liu works ut the Chi11ese Stude11t Lzfc office on Soi•. 19. Liu pussed the i11terview round ancl became president of the Chinl'se Student Association for the year 2015 2016. I Photo by Heern l~iley By Libbie Turner In the spring of 2015, West Ling, co-director of Chinese Student Life, approached senior accounting major Chad Liu, suggesting he run as the next president of the Chinese Student Association. Not long after being named the Chinese SA president, Liu began restructuring the organization as a functional unit that could effectively impact student life on campus. "Before, it was more of a self-serve organization just for Chinese students," Liu said. "This year, I registered it as an on-campus organization. I want it to be a bridge between Chinese students and other Harding students." Liu was president alongside 13 other Chinese SA officers, and he planned to expand the group to 20 officers the following year. A combined 138 Chinese exchange scholars and full-time students enrolled in classes at Harding in 2015. Liu was also on the Harding Student Association's International Committee. Senior Kyle Johnson, the Harding SA president, said he found Liu's ardor for growing the connection between international students and the rest of the student body to be helpful and inspiring. "Chad is one of the most effective leaders I have seen at Harding," Johnson said. "He always leaves me with more help and encouragement than anything I was able to do for him. The Chinese students, and the rest of us, are so blessed to benefit from Chad's passion and dedication." Nan Li, a co-director of Chinese Student Life, said the 2015 Chinese SA presidential election process was different than elections in years past. By implementing an interview process, the Chinese SA sponsors could select the candidate with the right skill set. "New students, when they first come (to Harding), they are excited and they want to take on responsibility," Li said. "That's good, but we need someone who knows Harding. Last year, we decided to interview students interested in running for president. We thought that Chad would be a really good candidate because he knew Harding well." Liu's ultimate goal was to lead the Chinese students towards being more involved and to educate others about the Chinese culture through events like the Chinese Moon Festival, a traditional celebration hosted by the Chinese SA. Liu wanted to help all students branch out and make the most of their time at Harding. "I want to make changes here and create connections at Harding," Liu said. "I want to do something big. Nothing small." INTEHN.\T IO :"I.\ L ~ 7 I
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