THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994               TAG: 9410280064
SECTION: DAILY BREAK              PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Profile 
SERIES: HAIL TO THE CHIEFS
        There's much more to student body presidents that their titles. While 
        they lead students, they also leaf full lives that are as diverse as 
        their institutions.
SOURCE: Stories by VALERIE CARINO
        Campus Correspondent
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   57 lines

ODU'S ANGELA EAST IS A FORMER STATE CHAMPION EQUESTRIAN, WHO LEARNED THAT KEEPING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE IS THE WAY TO TACKLE LOW STUDENT INVOLVEMENT.

LESS THAN a tenth of Old Dominion University's student body wants to be involved in student government, student president Angela East speculates. But the 24-year-old senior accounting major doesn't think that means students are apathetic.

``Apathy is basically nonexistent because the definition of apathy is a person who has no desires, feelings or concerns, and the only people I know like that are dead,'' said East, who is minoring in applied ethics. ``As a student leader, my job is just to tap into the ideas and concerns that people have.''

East attributes this low participation to ``the negative stigma'' some students have of student government - do-nothing, inactive. East wants students to to know that her government is working hard.

She wants to offer a free legal counseling service and sponsor ``Open Your Mind Forums,'' which would give students the chance to ask members of different communities - Asian-Americans, homosexuals - anything they want.

The legal counseling service ``would not be legal representation,'' East said. ``If you have a dispute with your landlord, then you can come and talk to these legal counselors and they'd give you advice on the situation.''

For East, being student body president is no 9-to-5 job. She usually arrives at school at 8 a.m. and often doesn't leave until 9 p.m.

``It's a sacrifice of time, but I'm gaining a lot as an individual from this experience, so I feel like it's worthwhile,'' she said.

But juggling responsibilities is nothing new to East. In Stuarts Draft, Va., her hometown, East showed horses competitively since age 2. She was a three-time state champion as an equestrian. From that experience, she said, she learned valuable lessons.

``It taught me how to be a competitor,'' she said. ``I've learned how to win graciously, but also how to gain from my losses.

East will take the CPA exam in November. After she graduates in May, she hopes to go to graduate school in accounting, possibly at Old Dominion. Although she has no plans to enter politics, she said, ``It's important for people to be involved,'' even on the college level.

``We provide the direct link between students and administration,'' she said. ``It's my goal to let people know what our purpose is on campus.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI

by CNB