MILLER,
Mitch
Agency Contact Interview
WRA135:5-F05
John A. Dowell, instructor
last update:12/01/05
Assignment
879 words
Mitch Miller's Interview with
Agency Contact, Tim O'Malley
The
Time was about 12:35
PM on October 13, 2005. I had just
arrived Armstrong residence hall after finishing my lunch in the main
Brody
building. I stepped in an immediately was met by the subject for my
interview,
Tim O’Malley, agency contact for YouVote. We immediately started
chatting and just
talking about nothing, it was nice that I already knew Tim and felt
comfortable
talking to him. He then told me to meet him in his office at 1 o'clock
when the
rest of my group arrived because he was going to make himself some
macaroni and
cheese real quick. Tim then informed me he had to eat just like
everyone
else. This statement, though it was meant in a comical fashion,
reminded me
that, he too, was human and not just some guy who had an office and
told me and
my peers to write essays and e-mail them to him by 11:59 am on any
given
Friday. This set the tone for the whole interview, and by the time the
rest of
my group arrived, I was ready to interview Tim O'Malley the person, not
Tim
O'Malley the robot who spit out the answers I needed to answer the
questions I
was assigned. Below is a transcription of the interview. The answers
provided
by Tim may not be exact quotes, as we didn't have a tape recorder
handy. They
do, however, capture the essence of what he was trying to say.
Q:
Describe
the hierarchy of the
YouVote agency.
A: There isn't really a hierarchy. I work with the
committee and then
work with
the director of communications to sort of relay things back and forth.
Do you
want me to draw you a picture? (We said, "yes please", and this is
what he drew for us)
Q: How long has the agency existed?
A: The organization has existed locally since 2001. It was started by the committee in response to a particularly low voter turnout for young adults in the elections that year.
Q: Where is the YouVote headquarters located?
A: 484 Administration Building on the MSU campus.
Q: How would you characterize the history of the agency?
A: The history of the agency has mainly consisted of a constant effort to expand and become more publicly known, this effort gets more intense during off election years.
Q: What is the best part of your job?
A: My favorite thing is working with the students and getting them excited about voting. I also like to get them civically engaged in the community.
Q: What is the most frustrating part of your job?
A: Trying to get across to people just how important it is to vote.
Q: What is the hardest part of your job?
A: Coordinating the committee and getting everything organized
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
A: The most rewarding thing for me is getting a different perspective of the University through the students.
Q: If you could change anything about YouVote, what would it be and how would you go about doing it?
A: I would like to increase funding by working with the Government Affairs Office and various student organizations to get more publicity.
Q: If YouVote's budget were tripled, what would be the first thing you'd do with the money?
A: (laughs) three times zero is still zero. Seriously though, I would spend the money to but T-shirts, magnets, and other promotional materials to hand out to students and get them interested.
Q: Who are some of your personal heroes and how have they impacted your work at the agency?
A: My sister is my hero. She pushes me to do more than I think I could. She encourages me to keep working and stay in school.
Q: What might future generations learn from encouragement like that of your sister's?
A: To never lose sight of your goals and to just always keep working towards them.
Q: What agencies out there are similar to YouVote?
A: You guys already listed some in your fact file; there are various others at different campuses around the country. Many cities and townships also have voter awareness programs.
Q: What are some of the successes of YouVote?
A: We have gotten a lot of people registered in the last few years and we are starting to be better known in the area.
Q: What are some problems YouVote has had?
A: We get new students every year so we have the same problems with communication every year.
Q: Is there anything YouVote can learn from these past problems?
A: It is best to keep members on the committee for longer amounts of time.
Q: Why did you decide to work for YouVote?
A: I've always been interested in people voting. I was the nerdy kid who went to the Secretary of State three days after my 18th birthday and registered to vote.
Q: What is the primary audience for YouVote?
A: Mainly college students at Michigan State but this can definitely be expanded to include college students all over the country. It also definitely includes the other permanent residents of East Lansing.