Kayla Nelson
Staff Writer
Being involved in almost everything Idaho State University has to offer is not an easy achievement. Samuel D’Amico has managed to be involved in the American Nuclear Society, Law Club and a fraternity as well as a member of the Greek Council.
“If I am not doing something it irritates me,” said D’Amico. “I go crazy just sitting around, so I enjoy being involved.”
D’Amico was recently involved in a request made to look into funds going towards the new president’s house. He wanted to make sure that the administration was being responsible to both the students and the community.
“I wasn’t saying the house was a bad idea, they may have perfectly good reasons to require a new president’s house, but they weren’t proving it,” said D’Amico.
Along with his parents, D’Amico worked on creating a more detailed list as to what the money was going for. Their ultimate goal was transparency for the community because they felt something wasn’t quite right.
“Luckily the community was really receptive to what I wanted to say,” said D’Amico. “They cared a lot and that was good.”
In addition, D’Amico has been working on persuading ASISU to keep the lobbyist position as part of the organization. The position was recently cut because there was no allocated salary for a lobbyist due to budget cuts.
“I don’t think Boise is receptive to what students want or what students need,” said D’Amico. He added, “Having a proactive lobbyist, having someone who is willing to go to Boise on a regular basis and talk to these people, and be more than just a messenger boy would be priceless to the university.”
D’Amico is willing to fill the position because he is familiar with lobbying. He feels he could represent students well. He has worked with legislatures before by speaking with Tom Luna during the education reform and working with the League of Women Voters to put laws on the referendum.
Growing up in Pocatello, Idaho and Tuscan, Arizona, D’Amico graduated from Pocatello High School. He is currently pursuing a degree in both Nuclear Engineering and Political Science. Outside of school D’Amico enjoys mountain biking, skiing, camping and backpacking.
“I want to see students more involved. I realize they are busy. It’s tough be a student and they are taking a lot of classes and doing a lot of homework, but it would be nice to see students reaching out to the community more,” said D’Amico. “I would like to see ASISU be more involved as well. They should be reaching out to students more.”
He feels a need for a more coherent university that provides more experience for students. D’Amico feels that today people are too focused on getting college over and done with, but there is more to college. Students need more experience and outreach on campus.
“We make up 15,000 people in a town of 50,000. That is a huge chunk of this town and we need to have a more positive effect on our community around us,” said D’Amico.
D’Amico’s advice for students is people are not going to come to you for stuff and students need to be more proactive.
“Often times people above us slip things under our noses because we are not paying attention,” said D’Amico. “Students need to do everything they can to stay involved and stay knowledgeable.”
