I am running for Student Body Vice President in order to fix Student Assembly and to use it to improve the lives of the students it serves. From my experience as secretary of Student Assembly, I know exactly what the current problems are and how to fix them. As vice president, I will get away from the current trend of passing meaningless, self-serving bills and instead bring about real improvements by expanding student services and Student Assembly initiatives.
My top priority is to get Dartmouth a mascot while maintaining the "Big Green" team name. For too long, the Indian image has been able to persist and racial tensions have been exacerbated because of it. As a member of Student Assembly, I helped start the current mascot search and as vice president I will use the Student Assembly budget to create an agreeable mascot costume for students to judge, before putting the design to a campus vote.
My next priority, and the one campus issue with the greatest moral imperative, is to extend need-blind admissions to international students. Not only would this spread the principle of fairness in admissions beyond our national borders, but it would also allow Dartmouth to enjoy more talented and qualified applicants. As more students apply to and learn about Dartmouth, its international reputation will improve, bringing more applications, prestige and donations from satisfied alumni.
Because of an op-ed I once wrote while working for The Dartmouth, some may question my commitment to total need-blind admissions. In this column, I mistakenly used protectionism to justify barring subsidized college admission from students who do not remain in the country, when the real problem came from my government's unwillingness to grant more permanent visas. Since I have arrived at Dartmouth, I have learned much from the experiences of others, revised my opinions on many matters, and believe that I am a more informed person and stronger candidate because of it.
In addition to the issues mentioned above, I will work to improve Student Assembly by adopting the reforms made by the Student Government Task Force, adopt the Committee on Standards Task Force recommendations, get DA$H in all vending machines, put more channels on the gym TVs and introduce a system of electronic bulletin boards that can inform campus while cutting down on paper waste. I have promised much, but I have the know-how necessary to achieve my goals.
I hope that if you agree with my vision for a better Dartmouth, you will humble me with your vote.