Teammates, friends and co-workers alike view Taylor Carr as a leader both on and off the soccer field.

Carr, Student Association presidential candidate and junior public relations major, was captain of the varsity soccer team at his high school before attending Syracuse University. At age 15, he began working as a referee for youth soccer teams. Today, he referees teams in Upstate New York an average of three days per week while running SA’s Student Life Committee.

‘He was always the adult on our team,’ said Andrew Parra, one of Carr’s former teammates. ‘He was always the one that kept us in order, and he was always a great leader as a captain and as a person.’

Parra, a sophomore undeclared major in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, has known Carr since they were 7 years old and describes him as persuasive and vocal. In high school, Carr was able to get anyone on his side regardless of what his views were, Parra said.

Aside from his involvement in SA, Carr is an orientation leader, was the assistant director of the Non-Traditional Student Commission and was the director of advocacy for the Residence Hall Association.

After he was with SA for one semester, Carr left to become the director of advocacy for RHA. ‘I knew SA was something I was passionate about wanting to pursue, but I wasn’t making as big of a difference as I thought I would,’ Carr said.

Carr’s goal was to make a difference in student life, he said. He worked with RHA on an overcrowding resolution. The purpose of the resolution was to get lounges back in the residence halls and find out what the administration’s enrollment plan is.

The position frustrated Carr when students approached him about minor issues, such as fixing showerheads, rather than issues that would make a significant difference in student life.

‘While those things are technically bettering the student life, it wasn’t big enough for me,’ he said. ‘When I think advocacy, I think it’s much larger than the height of a showerhead.’

When Neal Casey was elected as SA president, Casey approached Carr about becoming chair of the Student Life Committee. Carr was still director of advocacy at the time.

‘He approached me before he did it to get my opinion on it first,’ said Nate Berger, former president of RHA. ‘I knew that his goal was to get back into SA at some point.’

Berger, also a part of Carr’s campaign, encouraged Carr to do what was best — he chose to go back to SA.

Carr and his committee have worked on many initiatives, including the cyberbullying resolution passed in April and the Wegmans and Target buses. The committee also secured a dining hall in the Comstock Art Facility two weeks ago, Carr said.

The cyberbullying resolution is one Carr is intent to see through to the end, said Amy Snider, SA chief of staff and one of the leaders of the resolution. The resolution included student leaders from SA, RHA, Pride Union and the Pan-Hellenic Council.

Co-workers who described Carr as goal-oriented and driven cited the cyberbullying resolution as an example of his commitment to accomplish what he begins. Carr also sees himself as dedicated to the goals he sets.

‘It doesn’t matter what task I take on, I aim to achieve it at the highest level and success as possible, and I don’t quit until I do,’ Carr said.

Carr would like to define the vice president’s and chief of staff’s roles, if elected. The vice president’s role would be in charge of external affairs, such as community service and how SA can become involved with the community. The chief of staff would be in charge of internal affairs, such as attending meetings and making sure committee chairs are moving in the right direction, Carr said.

Carr would like to implement five hours of community service per semester for members. Although members might do this, Carr would like to see the organization as a whole make a difference in the community, he said.

One of Carr’s goals is to reshape the Student Engagement Committee to extend outreach. Outreach is through Town Hall meetings in residence halls, where mostly underclassmen live, Carr said.

‘We’re now missing off-campus students, part-time students, commuter students,’ he said. ‘What are we doing to hear their voice, to engage them?’

Carr wants to create an alternative late-night space at the former Haven Dining Center for students who don’t want to take part in the typical party scene, Carr said. He also plans to bridge the gap between greek life and the rest of campus by bringing their goals together.

Carr said he decided to run for president because of the networks he has as a result of his roles on campus.

Said Berger: ‘He’s been able to move fluidly among different organizations and kind of gain a grasp over so many different aspects of student life here that his knowledge exceeds that of most student leaders on this campus.’

lgleveil@syr.edu

Published on November 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Laurence: lgleveil@syr.edu | @lgleveille