Collegiate Times

Mike Barnett saw something in askSGA presidential candidate James Tyger within a few weeks of his arrival at Virginia Tech.

?He was articulate, motivated, very innovative, able to create ideas. He knew what he wanted. He wasn't bumming around college, drinking all the time,? said Barnett, a senior political science and philosophy major who encouraged Tyger to run for the College Republicans SGA representative seat in September of 2003.

?I thought when I came here upperclassmen were the only people that do SGA. I waited to see if any upperclassmen would take (the position) and they didn't,? said Tyger, human resource management major.

Tyger, who headlines a ticket comprised of Sarah Saxton, Derek Jones, and Kellie Gleeson, has taken the same hands-on approach to each and every aspect of his experience at Virginia Tech, ascending to the position of speaker of the House of Representatives and the presidency of the fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa, a position he has since resigned.

?Anytime I've ever had to work with him, been in a meeting with him, he's always been the type of person who likes to take the lead on things, he's not the type of person who sits back and waits for things to happen ? He's one of the most goal-directed people I've ever had to work with,? said Heather Wright, SGA speaker of the Senate and a junior psychology major who has worked with Tyger for two years.

Most recently, Tyger turned his energy toward the Ring Dance, where his typical tendency to step outside of his duties came to the forefront.

?He leads by example,? said Scott Cheatham, junior mathematics major and president of the Interfraternity Council who has known Tyger since elementary school. ?He was the vice president of the class of 2007, and our class' culminating event was ring dance. He's the person who worked on it a lot last year, probably as much as everyone, he went and set up the gossamer stuff in the ceiling and took time out to do stuff that wasn't any of his responsibility but he went above and beyond his position.?

Helping to revive a fraternity that lost its national charter for ?refusing to pay its bills,? has proven another unique challenge, Tyger said.

?(On) our fraternity house, the upkeep, the repairs, things that I obviously never really dealt with, that's been a very big challenge. Redoing floors, patching ceilings, just meeting really unique guys. I really like just going over to my fraternity house, talking with my brothers, relaxing,? Tyger said.

Tyger cites last year's Shockingly Refreshing ticket headlined by Kevin Denny and Michael Goode as one influence in increasing his ticket's reliance on increasing communication among all sectors on campus.

?He seems like he's really willing to keep the communication not just between LGBTA and SGA but between all the university chartered student organizations. He's really into that and seeing how much SGA can help all of our student organizations,? said Liz Ford, junior art and art history major and president of the LGBTA, one group with which the askSGA ticket met in order to begin what the askSGA website dubs an ?open-door policy? regarding communication with other student groups.

While he lauds the accomplishments of their opposition The Golden Ticket, Tyger believes his is the vision that will continue the momentum and growth SGA has experienced in recent years.

?Where student government is headed, I think I can take it there. I've had experience in all the different aspects of student government ? I've represented undergraduates on a variety of committees and commissions ? we have the cohesiveness,? Tyger said.