Sam Chapman
SSDP Board Application
School: University of Oregon
Email: ssdpduck@gmail.com
Major(s) / Minor(s) / Areas of study: Majoring in Political Science, minoring in Philosophy
Current year in school: Senior
Expected graduation year: Spring 2012
What are your tentative plans after college?:
Law School or Graduate School for Political Communications
Leadership Experience
Describe your advocacy skills and experience. Include work outside of SSDP.
I have experience from multiple fields within the drug policy reform movement. I was on staff as the college outreach coordinator for the Measure 74 campaign in Oregon where I was tasked with bringing student on board a medical marijuana campaign, as well as doing tv interviews and public service announcements. I am currently working under contract for the Oregon Marijuana Policy Initiative as the social media coordinator, as well as for Americans for Safe Access as a social media consultant where I advise and manage facebook and twitter accounts for both organizations. Alongside my chapter members, we have held multiple protests, forums, and lectures over the past 3 years, all of which have received a some form of recognition from local and national media. Last year I organized a campaign against the transition of our universities Department of Public Safety into a police force, and was chief petitioner for several measures regarding the transition during student government general elections. I also started the original Occupy Eugene facebook page which has seen blossomed into 2,400 people on the group page, and as of October 15th hundreds of people occupying the Eugene Saturday Market blocks while protesting corporate greed amongst many other reasons.
How do you plan on balancing a busy schedule as a student, an SSDP activist, and a board member?
I have been balancing a busy schedule since the start of my high school career where I became heavily involved in student government. I am currently a full time student, running a social media consulting group with multiple clients, as well as an SSDP chapter and Occupy Eugene movement for which I am the point of contact for the media and the Eugene Police Department. In my humble opinion, any good activist is good at juggling.
SSDP Chapter Experience
What formal positions have you held in your SSDP chapter? When?
I have been the “chapter leader” at the University of Oregon chapter for almost three years now.
Describe your leadership style, particularly within your chapter.
My leadership style is certainly unique in that it seems to be in flux all the time, which in my opinion is a good thing. Testing new seats on the long bus ride of leadership gives you the perspective I think any good leader needs to have. Leadership isn’t always being the person who makes decisions or the person who plans things. Delegation of important responsibilities throughout an entire group is key to having a well oiled team of activists.
Describe one project that you led or are leading. What was/is your role? What has this project accomplished?
For the past 2 years I have been working with the University of Oregon Administration on developing an all inclusive Good Samaritan Policy. I have met with the Dean of Students on many occasions, the most recent being a meeting that brought almost all the key players to the table simultaneously. As of now, the University of Oregon Dean of Students is backing the implementation of a Good Samaritan Policy (GSP) for alcohol related medical emergencies, and for this I commend him. HOWEVER, he has gone on to make it very clear that the University is not likely to endorse an all inclusive GSP which would include not just alcohol related emergencies, but drug related medical emergencies as well. The three documents I gave to each administrator that came to the last meeting can be found in this University of Oregon Good Samaritan Prezi. Within each packet contain a memo specifically defining what we wanted the policy to look like, a list of 30 Public Universities that have some form of a GSP, of which 19 cover alcohol AND drugs, as well as a list of the four states that have passed Good Samaritan Laws (GSL).
What fundraising or revenue building experience have you had in the past?
I have held many successful fundraisers for political campaigns, bringing in anywhere from $100-700. Although UO SSDP is not officially recognized by our student government, we have successfully received money from our student government multiple times without any trouble at all.
The Board
Why do you want to serve on the SSDP board?
I want to serve of the board because I want to be part of the larger decision making process within SSDP National. Input can only go so far from a chapter leader standpoint, I imagine board members get more attention that your average chapter member or leader. If I am elected I plan to take advantage of this. Empowering students who are not represented by retaining a board position is one of my top priorities if elected to the board.
What do you believe are the board's most important functions?
I believe the most important functions of the board are being as transparent as possible to the entire SSDP community and fundraising. Through transparency students can voice their opinions on SSDP through critique of previous campaigns, ideas for new campaigns, and helping existing chapters form new chapters.
What are your goals for your board tenure (be as specific as possible)?
-Launch State by State Good Samaritan Law Campaigns
-Raise at least $2,000 for SSDP National
-Help at least 15 students find paying jobs working for 2012 drug policy reform campaigns
-Develop a better incentive program for student/chapter participation in contests
-Provide a consistent open channel of communication between the board and chapters
-Organize a National Protest on Cinco De Mayo calling for an End to the failed War on Drugs
-Meet with representatives from every that supports medical cannabis
If elected to the board, would you retain a leading role and/or formal position with your chapter?
If I am elected to the board I will retain my position as chapter leader, but will continue to look for an up and coming student to fill my position seeing as this is my last year as an undergraduate.
