Person of the year: Evan Buelt

It's easy to be a leader when things are going well, but true leadership is something that can only be tested when times get tough. ASEWU President Evan Buelt has shown his exceptional character through some of the most trying times of student government and its members.

Earlier this year with a huge student uproar due to S&A Fee Budget allotments, Evan Buelt (along with current ASEWU Finance Vice President Cassandra Weaver-Sykes and new ASEWU Council member Dan Wilson) worked tirelessly around the clock to come up with a solution to the lack of funds for groups and organizations.

He also weathered the term of former ASEWU Finance VP Casey Groh, a member of his own fraternity, who resigned on March 4.

While the student government has been long criticized for its lack of communication with the students, Buelt has made it a point to listen to the concerns and problems of his constituents.

Along with work on the S&A Fees, Buelt has also been an advocate for a textbook rental program that would include digitized readers which could significantly reduce costs for students. Another one of his main focuses is the formation of an ASEWU Senate, which would allow groups, departments and organizations to send representatives to be a part of student government.

Born in South Korea and adopted by an American family, Buelt exemplified the Eastern Washington University spirit by making a lot of personal sacrifices to serve the students. He's also a fourth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and started when he was five years ago.

It's Buelt's exceptional character and passion for serving the students that made him an easy choice for The Easterner's Person of the Year.

Honorable Mention:

Romeal Watson's accomplishments on campus are remarkable and worthy of student recognition. He has been a staple of Eastern Washington University, working to bring diversity to the forefront.

Watson wears many hats on campus and could quite possibly be the most involved student we've seen. He has served as the Boxing Club's president as has helped make it grow to become one of the more successful clubs on campus.

We at The Easterner would like to commend Watson on his commitment to Eastern Washington.