It's easy to come up with a platform, but often tough to back up fine-sounding promises. A year ago I was elected on a mandate to make our student government more efficient, more representative and ready to tackle bigger issues. As student body president I've guided an ambitious Student Assembly, and in this article I will expound on some of our successes, as well as what needs to be done next year.
1.Free Newspapers -- This spring, the SA launched a program with USA Today which brings the New York Times, Boston Globe and USA Today to all of our main dining halls, free of charge to students. If elected, I will ensure that this program continues next year.
2.The Swim Team -- The SA dove into this issue, working hard with alumni and members of the swimming and diving teams, ultimately finding a solution to preserving these programs. Budget cuts will continue next year, but under my leadership I will continue to give vociferous support to our student athletes. With next year's budget shortfall projected as much worse than this year's, we need an experienced Student Body President to protect student's interests.
3.Alcohol Policy -- The alcohol policy has already undergone an odyssey to arrive where it is now, but the SA has been unrelenting in improving the policy's shortcomings. We've already increased the number of nights that an organization can register per week and improved registration procedure, and we are currently working on increasing the number of people that warrant registering a party and expanding the number of nights a week organizations can use kegs.
4.The Dorm Improvement Group -- Responding to a surprisingly decisive survey calling for improvements to study spaces and lounges in dorms, the SA and the Office of Residential Life have allocated money for physical improvements like couches, GreenPrint and DVD players in more run down residences like the Choates.
5.There are other projects in progress as well. While people take a variety of stands on the Indian, I think we can all agree that it isn't coming back as a mascot, and we've begun a search for a new official mascot we can unite behind.
We must continue our push for getting a young alumnus on the Board of Trustees, as audiences with President Wright and several Board members have given reason for optimism.
The SA must fight to get a doctor on-call at Dick's House 24 hours a day, so that sick students do not need to find rides to DHMC late at night. Similarly, students shouldn't have to search the Upper Valley for an affordable and reliable dentist, but as it stands now, there is no dentist anywhere at Dartmouth/DHMC that can be incorporated into our medical plans.
As student body president I've worked hard to leave no part of the campus untouched by the work of its student government. As you cast your vote this Wednesday and Thursday, you may not see much difference in my platform and my opponent's. The difference is that I've proven my ability to get things done working with an administration that often doesn't see eye to eye with students. What I've just laid out are not an assortment of pipe dreams, but the real products of determination.
At a time of looming budget cuts, I've protected students' interests, and directed school funding to projects that most benefit undergraduate students.
During a war of attrition against the Greek system, I've not only stood behind Greeks, but also consistently sought the input of Greek leaders.
I've focused one of our committees on environmental issues, making sure that the environmental conservation organization projects have a direct conduit to the administration.
So why run again? Because to make our greatest goals come to fruition, we need a seamless transition from year to year to match the long term timetables that the administration has used in the past to stonewall student voice. With my deep understanding of the issues and year-long practice of networking with different groups on campus, I am more ready than ever to fight for students. When the student body votes tomorrow, the mandate will be clear: that what we are doing is right, and we will never give up. We will finally have a united front, and have the means to achieve unprecedented student power. Until then there is much to be done, and I hope that you are with us.
