1. What are your qualifications for the position of Student Council president? What have you done for Council and the University?
Having served on Student Council for three years as a representative and Chairman of the Race and Ethnic Affairs Committee, I have the experience and vision necessary to represent student concerns. As a member of Council, I have worked on broadening the First Year Seminar, increasing diversity within the Greek system and empowering student groups through CIO Central. Council is not a one-person show, and my experience has given me the resources and knowledge necessary to achieve tangible change through collective action.
2. What is the single most important issue facing Council, and how would you specifically address it?
The single most important issue facing Council and the student body is the budget crisis. Unless creative solutions are found, students will face decreasing class choices and growing class sizes.
I plan to push for the development of a seminar program that would provide students with the chance to work closely with a professor on a particular topic of interest. By providing small funding through the Parents Program or other possible funding sources, a program should be established where three to five students are paired with a professor and meet once or twice every two weeks.
Additionally, I plan to increase student involvement in the budget process to ensure that students have a role in choosing where cuts are made. Students should have the right to choose whether money is cut from library hours, from printing privileges or from cutting class options.
3. What is the most effective way to gather and assess student opinion?
The most effective way to gather student opinion is through close work with student groups around Grounds. Council representatives should be actively collaborating with these groups on projects and actively seeking students opinions through forums. The gap between Council and students has grown too much. By regularly meeting with student groups, representatives will be able to have a better understanding of the needs each group faces.
Furthermore, rather than relying on office hours, Council should promote a system whereby student concerns are received by e-mail and replied to promptly. Once concerns are received they can be directed to committees and representatives according to expertise.
To increase effectiveness, the role of representatives must be focused on gathering student opinion, while the committees must be focused on acting on students needs.
4. How would you address the early signing deadlines for off-Grounds housing that students face?
To be effective, the early signing deadlines for off-Grounds housing must be addressed through both short and long-term approaches.
In the short term, I aim to create an online lease-brokering system that would allow students to trade their leases at any point in the year. This system would allow students who decide to change housing to get out of their leases, while allowing students still looking for housing to fill leases that became open. This system poses no disadvantage to realtors, and could feasibly be enacted for next year.
In the long term, the lease signing issue must be addressed through a partnership between University housing, realty companies and students. It is in a realtor's best interest to have students sign leases as early as possible, so a solution will only be found by giving incentives to realtors. The University is in a position to give companies that push back lease signing dates these incentives through greater advertising access to students. Through my past experience working with Council, I am in a position to effectively form these partnerships.
5. Why do you think you would be the most effective advocate for students?
An effective advocate must be able to gather diverse student opinion and work for the best interests of all students, rather than pushing a personal agenda. My varied experience at the University, including working with Comfort Zone in the Greek System, serving as a representative on Council, and tutoring with Madison House, allows me to actively seek a broad range of student opinions. In combination with my extensive experience on Student Council, I have the knowledge necessary to achieve tangible goals.
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