Vernon's platform insisted upon several Greek initiatives. If she wants these to be successful, she should take active steps to work with Greek leaders and individual houses to promote dialogue and cooperation between Student Assembly and her programs' most effected demographic.
--Zachary Gottlieb '10
Students who can't easily come up with the money to be transported to DHMC as a result of a Good Sam call should not be at a greater risk of being hurt. I would also like to see Vernon push for a change in Hanover's alcohol policy. Better management of funding is another key issue, and I think Student Assembly should begin by cutting its own budget and making that money available for use by the Committee on Student Organizations.
--Billy Zou '12
Transparency was undoubtedly the buzzword of this year's Student Assembly presidential election. It helped Vernon get elected, and is one of the most pressing issue facing Student Assembly. Vernon must restructure the Assembly so that it is more open, more accountable and more collaborative with the student body at large. By doing so, she can help erase some of the apathy towards Student Assembly that currently plagues our campus.
--Jasper Hicks '12
Vernon should work to fundamentally alter the attitude of Student Assembly. It should be more of a representative body that makes sincere efforts to tackle the issues Dartmouth students face, rather than an absurd club that finds creative ways to waste money.
--Raza Rasheed '12
Vernon should work to expand Student Assembly by involving more students (just blitzing out about meetings isn't enough). Once the Assembly is expanded, the other issues (keg policy, funding transparency, etc.) will be easier to work out.
--Tom Mandel '11
I was disappointed when Vernon failed to discuss environmental initiatives in her published platform. With budget cuts and ongoing Greek system drama, it's easy to lose sight of Dartmouth's pledge to curb energy use and promote sustainable development. Vernon needs to make sure these issues of sustainability remain high on her list of priorities.
--Ben Gonin '12
Vernon must address the Good Samaritan policy as soon as possible. The costs and risks associated with calling a Good Sam for a fellow Dartmouth student make the current policy under-utilized. If the College is sincere in its mission to put student safety first, the Good Sam policy must be made more student-friendly.
--Kevin Niparko '12
Vernon and the Student Assembly have the opportunity to dramatically increase administrative transparency. The student body has a right to know about major decisions while they are being formulated, not after they have been implemented. Student Assembly needs to push the new administration to be more transparent and open to student input and participation.
--Jacob Batchelor '12
Student Assembly needs to work on just fulfilling its basic mission: improving communication between the administration and the students. Once that happens, I might be able to get answers to the fundamental questions of student life, such as "Why has the GreenPrint station in Carson been tearfully slow all year?"
--Chris Talamo '11
