On paper, School of Public Affairs sophomore Tim McBride looks like the stereotypical Student Government president: involved in the SPA Leadership Program, College Democrats and the Undergraduate Senate.
He was appointed to the Senate in August 2010 by Speaker Eric Reath and has since worked on the SG budget, arts advocacy, the purchase of conflict-free minerals on campus and academic regulations.
But there’s more to him than meets the eye.
McBride will take over the SG May 1, but says he’s not going to be ruling from an ivory tower. He doesn’t want to be the disconnected SG representative that many students envision.
“I’m a student, not a president,” McBride said. “I want it to be a relaxed, calm, chill environment. I want it to be a student’s government, not a Student Government.”
McBride first became interested in politics when he was involved in the campaign to elect Sandy Poppiti as mayor of his Delaware hometown, Wilmington.
“I saw that, even though she lost, just participating could make a difference,” McBride said.
McBride has also been involved with the election campaigns of Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, for attorney general; Matt Denn for Delaware state insurance commissioner and Jack Markell for governor of Delaware.
McBride said Markell has become a role model for him. “[Markell has] been a really close mentor and someone whose opinion I really admire and respect and who is an honest, trustworthy, intelligent, compassionate person,” he said.
McBride also started Delaware’s Young Democrats Movement with the help of Helen Boyer, a junior in SPA.
The president-elect said he loves AU for its inclusiveness and the friendly atmosphere it offers to all students. “I think that might be AU’s biggest accomplishment — it’s really become a haven for all kinds of people to feel comfortable, to feel welcomed and to make friends,” he said.
McBride also has a place in his heart for the arts, as he earned an education in film from the Cab Calloway School of the Arts, where he met Vice President-elect Liz Richards.
“The arts are a fantastic resource, for not only creative expression obviously, but expanding our minds in ways that affect our academics, our intellectual capabilities and our empathy for others,” McBride said.
During his term, McBride hopes to investigate the University’s finances, create a University Senate, work for better resources for the GLBTA community and advocate for the Sustainability Fund.
“We have a lot of ideas that I’m very excited about,” he said. “But at the end of the day, even if we mobilize people on this campus, even if we have all of our facts straight, a lot of it will still rest with the administration. I’m anxious to see what kind of reception our ideas get within the administration.”
McBride hopes to return to his home state to become a civil rights attorney after graduating in 2013.
zcohen@theeagleonline.com
Tim McBride
Full Name Timothy Ryan McBride
Date of Birth Aug. 9, 1990
Hometown Wilmington, Del.
Favorite Band Dave Matthews and The Roots
Favorite American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Favorite Movie American Beauty
Favorite State “Delaware is the greatest state in the history of the United States.”
Facebook Habits “I’m a chronic ‘liker’ on Facebook. I have a very limited Facebook footprint, but I ‘like’ everything.”
