There are people at Dartmouth who devote their lives to making change. They see something wrong with Dartmouth and work to make a difference. They meet with students, administrators, write up proposals, and plan their schedule around meetings. They sacrifice so much simply because they want to make Dartmouth better.
So I don't get it. Why is it that when a bunch of motivated students try to make a difference, they can struggle their whole Dartmouth career and get nothing done? You see it happen every year motivated freshmen become frustrated sophomores who can't wait to get away on their LSA or FSP. It shouldn't be so difficult to try and make the place you love just a little bit better. Yet that's exactly the way it works.
Why do I want to be SA President? First and foremost, we must tackle the problem students have in affecting change. It's time that students be given more of a say in the decision-making process of this college. This doesn't mean that students should become pseudo-administrators. It means that we can stop concentrating on the volume of our voice, and focus on the merits of our arguments.
An Institutional Voice is the guarantee that no matter what, we will be heard. It goes beyond any token voice we have been shown thus far -- such as with the SLI and the Trustees' final decisions. By no means do the Trustees have an obligation to do as we say, but they should at least justify their decisions. They may disagree with our sentiments and they may even go against our reasoning, but after all the work that students have put into this process, we deserve to hear why.
When students feel like they have no ability to affect change, they feel no responsibility towards their community. We as students need to take ownership of our community. Right now, too many people feel excluded or detached. Right now the bond that connects all of us is weak and fragmented. Unifying this campus must be a priority next year.
Additionally, I want to make it easier for future leaders on this campus. I don't think it should be a choice between academics and involvement. And it shouldn't take three generations of students to make a change. When freshmen come in, ready to conquer the world, they should be shown how they can, not slowly discouraged and eventually burned out.
But as someone who likes to get things done, I want next year to be about what we can accomplish. I believe for the Student Assembly to be successful it must have successes. I mean, we can't just say we're going to do things, we need to do them. Pretty straightforward, right? Well it is. And that's what I want to do.
Past Assemblies have filled your HBs with newsletters and flyers shouting "LOOK WHAT THE ASSEMBLY HAS DONE FOR YOU." Well, if the Assembly was really successful, it wouldn't need to do that. If SA needs to tell you exactly what they've done for you, then they've obviously not had that much of an impact on your life.
First, there are the simple things -- we need a Course Guide, a wake-up service for people (like me) who oversleep, longer reading period, and online PE registration. And we need to continue to advocate. The fact that we don't have a Korean Language program is ridiculous, the Education Department must be strengthened and expanded, and Academic Advising needs to be reformed.
This year, it's been impossible to get anything done or changed because of the Student Life Initiative. With the decisions from the Trustees, a lot remains unspecified and general. We must make sure that Dean Larimore involves students in every aspect of the SLI implementation.
Finally, the Assembly is only as good as the people on it. That is undeniable. It's crucial that the Assembly remain a place where everyone feels comfortable attending, not just a select few. When I was a freshmen, the Assembly was a fragment of what it is today you couldn't even attempt to call it representative. Now, the Assembly is a much more open organization. It needs to continue to be so.
I have no illusions about the image of Student Assembly. Beyond not being respected, it has no legitimacy in the eyes of the students. Let's face it to too many people it's a joke. So why do I want to be President of such an organization? Because I believe in its potential. And I think its potential has shown through in the past -- Visions of Dartmouth my freshmen year, getting $100,000 more a year for student organizations my sophomore year, the campus SLI Response Vote this year.
Next year I want to bring it all together and explode that potential.
