Student body president Pat Hallahan announced Thursday that he will be graduating this December, one semester earlier than the senior class's scheduled graduation date and four months before his term was scheduled to end.
During the summer, Hallahan worked for the Democratic National Committee and was offered the position of executive assistant to the DNC's Finance Director. The job is scheduled to begin in January."Initially, I didn't think much of the offer, but toward the end of the summer, I gave it a lot of thought," Hallahan said.
A number of reasons contributed to his decision to take the job, but Hallahan said he hesitated because of everything he would give up by missing the second semester of his senior year, such as his position as president of the student body.
"It was a really tough decision, but I thought [taking the job] was best," Hallahan said.
Hallahan said he felt he could not pass up the opportunity after considering the amount of money an early graduation would save his family, combined with the fact that the job was "such a great opportunity that wouldn't have been there in May."
"It just made sense," Hallahan said.
After Hallahan's departure in December, Student Body vice president Jeremy Lao will become president. Lao will then appoint a new vice president, who the Senate must then interview and approve.
Unless Lao, a junior, chooses to run for president in the spring and is elected, his term as president will end April 1.
