Former Residence Hall Association president Branden Hayes was approved to be the new chief of staff at last Tuesday’s ASUW meeting.
The chief of staff job is a paid ASUW position requiring the student to act as a “third wheel to the president and vice president,” according to ASUW President Joel Defebaugh. The chief of staff is only paid during the school year.
Hayes was one of two candidates to apply after ASUW did not approve Jake Calzavara to hold the position because he will be graduating in December.
“I’ve worked with Branden in the past, and he has a sincere passion for leadership and he almost never gets stressed out. He’s almost like a counselor and he’s good to bounce ideas off of,” Defebaugh said.
Though Calzavara had not yet been approved, he had been preparing for his position prior to the first week of classes along with other executives. However, ASUW members did not feel comfortable approving a chief of staff who would only be in the position for one semester.
“Since Jake will be graduating in December, the senators felt that it wouldn’t be good for congruency for next semester,” Defebaugh said.
Hayes’ approval as chief of staff also created some unrest as some senators felt uncomfortable approving him when they did not have a chance to hear from the other candidate. Defebaugh assured ASUW members that Hayes was qualified for the position.
“I knew we couldn’t go too many more weeks without a chief of staff, especially when Branden was fully qualified,” Defebaugh said.
Because Calzavara was not approved in the first week, ASUW was without a chief of staff until last Tuesday, which added pressure to Defebaugh and ASUW Vice President Brett Kahler when the Board of Trustees came to Laramie the week prior.
“The one real struggle we had was when the Board of Trustees came to visit. We were trying to prepare for our meeting on Tuesday night and answering any questions the Board of Trustees had,” Defebaugh said. “I ended up turning to Brett quite a bit, which was a tough spot because he has his own branch to manage.”
Some of the chief of staff’s responsibilities include supervising day-to-day activities of the executive staff, giving direction and assistance on special projects, and helping ensure goals are met effectively and on time.
“We want everybody to know they’re part of the team and the chief of staff does just as much work as the other execs, but he’s the one I work closest with. My position is very external and I’m constantly running around to meetings, and it’s nice to have someone you can trust in the office to help the other execs out,” Defebaugh said.
