LAWRENCE, Kan. – Current KU student government association vice president, Grant Daily, has had far from a typical college experience during his time in the position. With COVID-19 running ramped on colleges across the nation, Daily has gotten to see first hand the effects this has had on his fellow students who need the campus to remain open.
Did you know what you wanted to do as a kid? I wanted to serve others.
What would you tell your younger self now? The Carl Sagan quote is like a paragraph long, so instead, I thought I would type a little more about my answer: When I was a kid, I was nervous about the future. Any unknown world would make me anxious. If I could go back, I would tell myself to remember what my dad used to say to me, “This, too, shall pass.” Being nervous about the world will never make life easier. It’ll never allow you to help others as we all should. Instead, it is essential to remember that life goes on, and we can only really impact what we do as individuals.
Favorite snack/candy? Movie Popcorn or Reece’s peanut butter cups.
How did you get involved in SGA? I joined SGA during my first year in college. Back then, it didn’t feel like many were talking about issues impacting low-income students, and I wanted to change that. To this day, low-income students are undervalued by their peers in most places of higher education. It is a form of adversity that can sometimes be hidden by those burdened through experience while also being dismissed by others.
What book are you currently reading? Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Did you imagine being a semi-public figure on campus during a global pandemic? Few ever imagined living through a pandemic, yet COVID has consumed almost everything. This isn’t the year anyone wanted; nevertheless, we don’t get to choose what the world does to us. I’ll remember this period of life as a time of hatred and division, but also of deep growth for everyone. Through scrutiny of both societal and personal, hopefully, grace will one day be found for all.
Who is your hero? Of course, I would have to say, Jesus. I am a man of faith, and he’s been there for me in my darkest times. Second, to that, I would have to say my sister, who has been an influential person to me my entire life.
The thing you have been most proud of that you’ve done while in KU SGA? I will be most proud of the conversation I was able to start and the people I was able to help. Since I’ve gotten to KU, I’ve been able to shift the focus onto workers’ rights, low-income students, sexual violence, international students, access to food, healthcare, and housing. The only way things will ever get better for any group of people is if we, as a community, are willing to have progress-based-conversations about finding solutions. I’m also going to be proud of who I was able to work with my senior year. Franky, I have rarely found people as caring and thoughtful as Apramay and the others I work with. Together, we’ve put in thousands of hours working towards the benefit of others in an attempt to expand access to healthcare, housing, fiscal benefits, safety, and so much more.
What are you currently watching on Netflix? The Good Place.
How has KU been dealing with the pandemic, in your opinion? The whole world could be doing a lot better. This is especially true in Missouri and Kansas, but KU has done more than any other school in the region. KU has tested more people, put in more health safeguards, and allowed for more self-agency among all students than any institution in the area. Of course, KU could be doing more; everyone could be doing more in response to the pandemic. However, when we talk about access to education, that is such a personal choice, and I think KU has tried to allow that choice to be made by those it impacts most.
The SGA president was quarantined, and you took his position during that time. What was that like? SGA President Apramay, as well as his fraternity, did quarantine for the benefit of the community. I wish more people would react to potential exposure with such candor and care. If the entire country would quarantine for a while, we could land a finishing blow to this pandemic as we should have done months ago.
Favorite social media platform? I’d have to say Instagram but mostly just for the meme accounts.
Something random some people might not know about you? I love to cook BBQ. I also understood Tenet. That movie was wild.
Long term goal? My long term goal is to help others. I think we all are called to serve others in a plethora of ways. It only takes time to figure out how you can best help others.