Josh Jordan never used to be the student government kid.
He was always the athlete.
But now, the sophomore cornerback on the ASU football team wears both of those hats.
In addition to representing ASU on the football field, Jordan recently began his first year in Undergraduate Student Government as one of four student senators from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
“The most rewarding part is helping my constituents,” Jordan said. “Even though I’m on scholarship and I really don’t have to pay for books or anything else, fighting for their rights is something I take pride in.”
While this is the first time Jordan has held a position in a student government, his family is quite familiar with politics. Jordan’s father Eric was the regional manager for the Las Vegas office of current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
“Politics was always something that was in the back of my mind,” Jordan said. “I wanted to run in high school, but I was always doing three different sports. I got here and I was able to able to run for the position in Undergraduate Student Government, [and] I leapt at the chance.”
Jordan began thinking about running for the senator position as he moved through his freshman year, but he said he discussed it with his academic advisors rather than his coaches.
After deciding he wanted to run, he assembled a campaign team that included many members of the ASU football team, including junior kicker Thomas Weber, senior linebacker Mike Nixon, sophomore wide receiver Gerell Robinson and sophomore safety Clint Floyd.
“It was awesome [to help out],” Nixon said. “You don’t see a lot of football players who do the whole senator thing. When he came to me to ask for help, [I] got him some rosters and some people to send e-mails out to who I knew. Obviously, something paid off, and he sold himself well.”
Part of Jordan’s campaign included giant posters that featured him standing in front of the Capitol Building, and an endorsement from Reid.
“I was on Palm Walk riding my bike, and there was this big poster,” Student Senate President Sharvil Kapadia said. “I literally crossed it, and I turned around just to look at that poster. I looked at it and I was like ‘Who is this guy?’ I told my friend, ‘Dude, look at that. That’s so legit, this kid is awesome.’ Then I found out he was a football player, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s phenomenal. That’s amazing.’”
But Jordan did his best to make sure his status as a football player did not impact the election process.
“I tried to keep it under wraps, because I didn’t know if it was going to play for the positive or the negative,” Jordan said. “But you can only keep it so far — people figure it out. I didn’t really hear any negatives out loud, [but] I’m sure there were [some]. Of course, the stereotype is there, and you’ve got to overcome it.”
Jordan eventually won a senate seat, and the support of his head coach as well.
“I call him Senator Jordan,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said “I think it’s great that our players can get involved with their student body and student government. If he was a politician, I’d feel pretty good about where we’re at. He’s pretty excited — he’s got his opinion on things.”
As a student senator, Jordan attends numerous meetings, helps decide where school funds should go, helps alter the Student Code of Conduct and acts as a voice for the student body.
“Most importantly, [Jordan’s job is to] represent every student,” Kapadia said. “If someone knows Joshua Jordan on the football team and goes, ‘Hey dude, I have a problem with this,’ I would expect him to come back to Senate and discuss it. That’s what he’s there for, and that’s what all our senators are there for who represent the students.”
Two ways Jordan wants to improve ASU are by implementing a safety escort service that will transport students from bars to their homes if they have been drinking, and by bringing a food bank to campus.
Jordan has already impressed Kapadia with his ability to work in a team during Senate training earlier this month.
“I saw how he gave his input on things [and] how he stayed silent on things that he didn’t know about,” Kapadia said. “He was one of those guys that knew exactly what to do at what time.”
And while Kapadia said he will not treat Jordan any differently that his other senators, he knows having a football player on board will help bridge the gap between ASU athletics and USG.
“Athletics is a big thing at ASU, and student government doesn’t reach out to as many people as athletics or football does,” he said. “When you combine the two, I think that will have an immense power.”
Bouncing between his football life, his senate life and his school life also requires a balancing act from Jordan, but it’s one he said he has been able to handle thus far.
“I live by the book — the planner just keeps everything scheduled,” he said. “It’s not as hard as everybody thought it would be, [or] even I thought I would be. As long as I write everything down [and] keep everything in line, it all works out.”
And through his continuing transition into his new role in the Senate, Jordan has been able to lean on his father for support and guidance.
“My father was the biggest influence [to run for senator],” Jordan said. “The best thing I think he taught me was: ‘It’s not about you. It’s about your constituents.’ No matter if you like it or not, if something’s wrong, even if it doesn’t affect you, [you] fight for the students. Everything we did was student-based from the grassroots up, so that’s all I’m about, and [my father] pretty much built that in me.”
On the football field, Jordan was one of a school-record 10 true freshmen to play in 2008. He recorded six tackles in 11 games last season, and he is currently second on the depth chart behind senior Pierre Singfield after returning to practice from a back injury last week.
“My first goal is to help our team win,” Jordan said. “[I’m] trying to battle back for the cornerback spot, [and] I should get some nice playing time. [I’m] hoping to make a couple plays, win some games, and have some fun. “
Jordan hopes his experience with USG will ultimately lead to a career in politics, but for now, he hopes that his involvement in the student senate will encourage all ASU students to ignore stereotypes and step out of their comfort zone.
“I hope I can be an inspiration to people to get out there and do what you want to do,” he said. “Some people sometimes are scared to break out of the mold — that I’m a football player and I have to do this, or I’m an athlete, [so] I have to do this, or I’m just a student [or] I’ve got to be in the band. You can do what you want, as long as you just have the courage to go out and do it and put forth the time.”
Reach the reporter at gina.mizell@asu.edu.
