Dartmouth's student government could spend the next year mired in bureaucratic changes, or students could elect Michael Perry '03 to the office of student body president. While other candidates would misdirect their energies toward unworkable structural reforms to the Student Assembly, Perry would spend his time bringing about tangible improvements to student life. Perry's plan emphasizes improving student-faculty relations, creating more student-controlled social spaces, continuing to provide student services and expanding support for diversity.
Over the last few years, the Assembly has succeeded at gradually institutionalizing student voice and diversifying student services. Perry proposes to build on the Assembly's past successes rather than scrapping recent progress.
Although we endorse Perry's candidacy, his opponents also present useful ideas that should not be dismissed. If elected, Perry should adopt some of these proposals. Tara Maller '03's blueprint for fostering student-faculty interactions through professor-taught Miniversity classes is worthwhile. Janos Marton '04's emphasis on financial aid has brought attention to a major student concern that the Assembly should address, particularly with regard to work-study wages. And although Karim Mohsen '03's vision of residentially-based representation is logistically flawed, the issue of accountability deserves scrutiny.
This year's candidates for student body vice president have very similar platforms. In person, however, Julia Hildreth '05 demonstrates the willingness to engage the issues that make her the superior choice for the position. By focusing on communication, Hildreth will help the Assembly to build better ties with students.
As demonstrated by the expected strong showing of this year's "reform" candidates, the student government at Dartmouth does need to improve. However, this is not the time for a radical structural overhaul, which would likely have a negative impact given the Assembly's limited power. As experienced candidates, Perry and Hildreth will work within the current framework to most effectively satisfy students' needs.
