The Student Assembly is in trouble and everyone knows it. Pet projects (read: bikes that go nowhere) and internal squabbling (do we really need more constitutional amendments?) have gathered most of the student body's attention, while some really important accomplishments have gone unnoticed. In many ways, SA is Dartmouth's student government in name only.
I am running for Student Body President because I care immensely about the quality of life for Dartmouth's student body and only I have the experience, the passion, and the vision to take SA forward. I am not offering bold, unrealistic promises or guaranteeing any sort of quick fix. What SA needs right now is not a "kick in the butt" or a radical moral crusade. Instead, SA needs solid leadership informed by experience working with, and against, the administration combined with a renewed focus on the organization's primary role as an advocate for the Student Body.
My opponents will tell you experience doesn't matter, but that's simply not true. They will tell you that "any president" can give you new blitz terminals, green print stations, free newspapers, etc. Do they really think it that's simple? Why then, has the SA had such a poor year, if so many of these projects are apparently as simple as pushing a button?
I'll provide two cases to illustrate my point. In the fall, when I was away on my FSP, your SA approved $2,750 for Party Packs legislation and $3,500 to another group for the production of a Katrina video. First, the party packs. Now, I love pizza on a Friday night as much as the next guy, but should we have to pay for it? The administration approached SA and told Adam Patinkin, my current opponent and then co-chair of the Student Organizations Committee, that it could no longer "afford" the Party Pack program it had started last year and needed SA funds to keep it going. This would be the same administration that just built a multi-million dollar gym and could "afford" dozens of flat screen TVs (more on that later). Catch my drift? Nevertheless, Adam went ahead and sponsored the legislation, argued for it, and then spent $2,750 of students' money on an administrative pet project.
The Katrina video is another case of wasted money brought on by inexperience. Katrina was horrible, and SA should have done something to show its support. Why not give $10,000 to the Red Cross? Wouldn't that be of help to some people? Instead, all of my opponents decided it would be better if we spent $3,500 on the production of a Katrina video that would document the hard times encountered by Dartmouth's winter-break trip to Biloxi. FYI: the video has never been made and your money is gone.
SA needs to stop with these senseless pet projects and focus more on its role as an advocate for the Student Body. It's hard work and less glamorous, but the results are better. The new fitness center, the new blitz terminals, the new green print stations, the Good Sam policy changes, cable TV, the new SEMP policy, and the 7th Sorority are all in some way the result of numerous meetings SA had with the administration in which we lobbied hard for students. This is hard work and it takes dedication and experience. But if we want to lower parking fines, make more social spaces fully inclusive, and finally get Club Sports the money it needs, this is the way to do it. And I am the best candidate to take us there.
