Experience Counts

My name is Santi Vallinas '07, and I am running for Vice President. What makes me different from the other candidates is my three years of SA experience. If am elected Vice President, I want to incorporate the knowledge I have learned to restructure SA and ultimately improve its effectiveness and connection to the student body. There are six cardinal goals for my tenure as Vice President. 1) COS needs to be improved. It is critical that students receive fair punishments for their alleged violations. Currently the panel only requires a simple majority to impose a sentence that could ultimately destroy a student's future. This is why I am proposing to change the structure of the panel to include 8 members and require a two-thirds vote to pass a sentence. 2) Fair DDS meal plan. Student Assembly needs to fight for student interests. Topside limits, the lack of range in meal plan options, and higher prices are unacceptable. It is critical that Student Assembly does not give in to the demands of DDS but fights for a plan that is fair. 3) Fight for the Greeks. Student Assembly needs to show their support for Greek organizations at times that are critical for Greek houses. The 10th sorority has started up but has run into some roadblocks finding a house. SA needs to step in and urge the administration to offer more support and help address some of these Greek issues. 4) Protect Diversity. With the recent resignations of Ozzie Harris and Dawn Hemphill, it is evident that a problem exists on the Dartmouth campus. The college is claiming to want diversity, but not supporting this in practice. It is time that SA stood up and started asking questions and urging the administration to hire more diverse faculty and provide gender neutral housing. 5) Give club sports endowment. I want to set aside $10,000 of the SA budget to start a fund for club sports. Students who play club sports dedicate a lot of time to practices and training, and it is an embarrassment when they qualify for national competitions but cannot attend because they lack funding. 6) SA Internal Reform. The Vice President chairs MIAC, which is the body in charge of the internal structure of SA. I want to bring in leaders from outside of SA and appoint them to leadership positions to revitalize the organization and create new ideas. SA needs to represent the ornate diversity of our Dartmouth community.