The Dartmouth recently sat down with incoming Student Body Vice President Noah Riner '06 and talked with him about his plans for the coming year.
The Dartmouth: As a former 2006 Class President, you said, "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." What is your progress on increasing relations with alumni?
Noah Riner: Right now, there is a position in Student Assembly called Alumni Liaison. I plan on getting that position filled with someone who is passionate about increasing the way we work with alumni, and let [the alumni] know what we are doing. For example, next weekend, the Student Life Committee will be making a presentation about the mascot and the Student Assembly will help with this. A lot of issues that current students deal with involve students as well as alumni.
The D: What are your next projects?
Riner: The good thing about this year is that we can work on what the Student Assembly was working on last year because the people involved decided to stay on for more than one year. So there's carry-over. A lot of times, they quit after one year. We will be working with the dorm improvement group, mascot issues and making the Collegiate Readership Program permanent. The Collegiate Readership Program is very important so Dartmouth students know what's going on in the real world.
The D: What is your main concern as Student Body Vice President?
Riner: Deciding on next year's committee chairs. They will directly affect what projects the Student Assembly works on. I want to find people really excited about this, who have good ideas and are in-touch with the campus.
The D: Why do you think you and Janos Marton will make a good team?
Riner: Janos and I have worked together in the past and we bring different perspectives. We want to be representative of the campus. As a senior, he brings experience. I'm an athlete. I bring that to the table. I'm an '06 and I bring a younger view and a new set of experiences.
The D: Were you surprised by your victory?
Riner: It was definitely a close run and I knew it could go either way.
The D: Polls had put David Wolkoff '04 ahead of you. How did you pull through to win the race by more than 80 votes?
Riner: In the last few days before the election, I got out and spoke to a lot of people . When they know who you are, they know better how to vote. It's important to stay in touch with people you represent.
The D: Why do you think students were so apathetic about this year's elections?
Riner: The total number that voted is less than last year. I'm not sure why. Maybe because only two people were running, or the two beautiful days outside. People didn't feel like voting.
The D: Do you forsee any troubles ahead? How do you plan on dealing with them?
Riner: It's always going to be difficult to make changes, but it's very feasible when you have people in touch with the campus, and are dedicated to doing what's right.
The D: Do you plan to run for office after college?
Riner: I'm definitely interested in government. I'm studying government and history [at Dartmouth]. I know I'll want to be involved in some way, whether it's just encouraging someone to vote, or helping someone's campaign.
The D: Have you always been interested in politics?
Riner: I've been interested since high school -- when I started to care more. It seemed relevant to my life -- our government, to make a difference in our lives.
