Political Science - News and Events

Rush Robinson of Benton, KY, and the Class of 2026 wears many hats. He is a philosophy major (actually a triple major in philosophy, psychology, and sociology!). But he is also the Student Government Association president and Student Regent for the WKU Board of Regents!

One of our philosophy faculty, Landon Elkind, recently sat down to ask Rush about his involvement in SGA, what students can look to SGA for, and why they might be interested in getting involved.

Note: the following was edited for length and clarity.

LE: SGA is a big time commitment. When WKU students are thinking about extracurriculars, work, and classes, they already have a huge number of commitments. Were you put off, or should other students be put off, by the commitment SGA, and especially SGA leadership, involves?

RR: It is true, when people see my calendar and all the meetings, they usually react, “Wow, how do you have time for all this?” But I think WKU students are used to having a lot going on. I had been in leadership in my fraternity [Sigma Phi Epsilon and Omicron Delta Kappa] and in SGA since freshman year. It is a lot, but not something students can’t handle.

LE: What led you to get involved in SGA in the first place and to continue with SGA for all four years?

RR: SGA has sometimes been in this odd place where it parroted national political talking points. To my mind, that was never what SGA was and should be doing. I would see SGA social media cheer on something in Washington and go, “What are we doing here?” As president, I worked to make SGA an advocate and resource for students, which is what I find great about it.

LE: When should students look to SGA – their senator or SGA leaders – for help or advice?

RR: Students will often want to change something or get involved, and they won’t know who to talk to on campus who can help. One thing that is good about SGA at WKU is that the administration here does respond to students. SGA can help you find someone in the university who can respond to the concern. And SGA senators and leadership can help you push for a change you want to see on campus.

It can also be a great place to start if you do have a concern or idea for the student body. If we decide we are not the office you are looking for, we will know where to send you!

LE: How have your philosophy classes and readings impacted your SGA and Student Regent roles?

RR: The critical thinking piece is huge here. The ability to take into consideration multiple perspectives and points to use in a disagreement or idea, generally speaking, has been so helpful. I attribute most of those skills to the type of learning in my philosophy classes.

LE: What are your post-graduation hopes and/or plans?

RR: I will be attending graduate school here at WKU. The program is an Ed.S. in School Psychology. Down the road, I hope to serve a school district in the capacity of a school psychologist!

LE: What are your hopes for SGA and WKU student involvement in it, moving forward?

RR: I think the start of my administration was the start of SGA’s new era of outreach. People who know of SGA think fondly of it. The problem is not every student knows about the resources and services we offer. My hope moving forward is that the next administration can continue the work we have started of getting SGA to places it hasn’t been before.

LE: Would you like to leave us with your favorite philosopher and/or philosophy text?

RR: Coming from some of my classes, I like Aristotle's Doctrine of Mean. That is something I think about often. Also, John Stuart Mill’s harm principle is one that comes to mind. That one, particularly because of events happening on campus when we went over it in class. One thing that I am reading about currently is Epictetus's dichotomy of control. Stoicism, for a long time, has given me trouble. Recently, though, there are a lot of actions and thoughts I have that I later realize are not worth my energy, so I am trying to lean more into stoicism.