The best way to lead is to serve. As '06 Class President and a member of Student Assembly's Student Life Committee, I have learned just that. From coordinating last fall's Bonfire to helping in the search for a mascot to proposing the swim team protest, I have been able to experience student government's ability to serve the campus first hand. In running for vice president, it is my desire for Student Assembly to serve students in significant and lasting ways.
My opponents have good ideas on how to better our campus, and I admire their passion for improving Dartmouth. However, I believe that in addition to formulating good ideas, we need to have concrete ways to implement those ideas. I don't want to just consider what needs to be done; I want to actually do it.
As Class President, one of the most meaningful things that I did all year was to work with the swimming and diving teams in their fight for survival. There are a number of things I learned from the swim team's battle to remain on campus. Among them, alumni voice is much louder than student voice. I want to increase student voice by developing Student Assembly's relations with alumni, revitalizing the position of Alumni Liaison to let the alumni know what is going on at Dartmouth from students' perspective. The alumni are our key to being heard. Let's unlock the door and increase student voice.
Additionally, students should be treated equally and fairly. Student Assembly should do its part to make Dart-mouth's social scene more gender equal. I want to support the Panhellenic Council in pushing for a new sorority so that Dartmouth's social options are more gender balanced. Finally, one must listen before acting. Before claiming to represent students, Student Assembly must listen to students. Student Assembly needs to open up to student organizations and encourage them to send representatives to the Assembly. By finding out what is important to student groups, sports teams and clubs we can work together to achieve our common goals.
As a member of Dart-mouth's crew team, I've become even more convinced that hard work pays off when people join forces. I want to work hard to strengthen student voice with alumni voice, support gender equality in our social system and genuinely listen to the needs of students and campus groups. It is only through actively pursuing the needs of students that one can truly become an effective leader, an effective servant.
