The editorial board of The Miami Student recently invited candidates running for positions in Associated Student Government (ASG) to talk about their qualifications and plans if elected. After short speeches and a brief question-and-answer session, we evaluated the agendas presented according to the prescripts of the position for which they are running. The following are this board's recommendations of the most qualified candidates.
Student Body President
Impressed with his initiative, proven record and detailed platform, this board voted unanimously to endorse Jonathan McNabb for president. He presented a coherent plan that outlined the goals he would work toward achieving if elected. We support his objective of prioritizing undergraduate academics such as working with the administration to limit the expansion of class sizes. Other specific action plans which won our approval and which we would hope to see come to fruition include instituting a dead week before final exams to allow students time to adequately prepare and making force-adding classes electronic, which would save students from the familiar hassle of registering for booked classes.
In addition to McNabb's top priority of academics, his other areas of focus deserve mention. In the area of technology, this board believes his proposal, if instituted, of an integrated website for student organizations would not only make the scheduling of events significantly easier, but also would help to reduce over-programming and, thus, possibly boost event attendance. The suggestion of a universal calendar of events has been met with enthusiasm among members of organizations that it would directly involve such as Campus Activities Council.
Both McNabb and the second candidate for president, Paul Struebing, spoke of the need to make ASG more accessible to the student body as a whole and, therefore, more accountable to it. While Struebing's idea for a Blackboard module to provide students with the contact information of their respective ASG representatives is practical, it, alone, is too passive a measure. It would require students to seek out the information. McNabb proposed an e-mail newsletter, which would directly provide the information to the student body, and a regular forum, which would allow for face-to-face discussion.
As a member of ASG for three years and as vice president of student organizations this past year, McNabb has a wealth of experience that will serve him well as president. In addition, during his tenure as vice president of student organizations, McNabb has worked closely with Oxford city council, building a relationship that will help him to address off-campus issues such as sidewalk repair. On the basis of both his platform and demonstrated ability, we believe McNabb is most fit to be president.
Vice President of the Student Body
Although Adam Harris is running unopposed, this board feels confident he can fulfill the responsibilities of the position and thus supports his candidacy. Harris, who has been involved with ASG for three years, serving as a senator since last year, has already worked closely with McNabb, which will ease the transition for the duo. Moreover, he impressed this board with his continuing efforts to improve Miami's sustainability. The possibility of running the Miami Metro on vegetable oil waste from dining halls, which could save the university $20,000 per year, has particular weight in these tough economic times.
We also support his focus on the issue of safety and, in particular, his idea to foster intergroup cooperation to devise a plan to increase safety. Given the new sophomore on-campus living requirement, Harris's proposal to help with the transition is timely. Career-centered living communities will help students break into the job market by building a foundation of experience. Furthermore, his plan to build a Web site to aid in the search for off-campus housing will help upperclass students when they move off-campus for the first time. We feel that Harris has tangible goals, practical plans to achieve them and the experience to implement the plans.
Vice President of Student Organizations
The Miami Student editorial board supports Andrew Ferguson for vice president of student organizations because of his experience as treasurer of ASG. He will bring continuity to the position and continue the funding policies established by McNabb. Keeping the funding process consistent will allow for a streamlined and accessible process to develop.
He wants to start the funding education process in the beginning of every year with a mandatory funding training session to clarify questions and educate student organizations on the processes. He also wants to continue improving the student organization resource book, making it more clear and informative.
The board thinks Ferguson will continue where McNabb left off, but hopes he doesn't use McNabb's progress as an excuse to only meet the status quo. We encourage him to expand on what has been done over the past year and go further with the progress. Ferguson has the opportunity to further the sense of continuity and we challenge him to be continually innovative with the position.
Vice President of Campus Activities
The Miami Student editorial board endorses Cassidy Pazyniak for vice president of campus activities because of her experience as a co-chair for various Campus Activities Council (CAC) events and her concrete plans of motivating members within CAC. Pazyniak and Robert Nussbaum had similar platforms, both supporting a calendar of events and using morale boosting measures to increase student involvement in both the planning and attendance of CAC events, but Nussbaum lacked the detailed plan of Pazyniak. Nassbaum has excitement for the position, but Pazyniak has specific methods for motivating the other members of the organization.
The board believes she will incorporate various ideas and creativity into event planning through delegating tasks and not having the co-chairs plan everything. From her experience as a co-chair she learned people work better when they are assigned a specific task and are held accountable through reporting to the group on their progress.
Pazyniak also hopes to improve communication between the Greek and non-Greek communities. She has laid out a specific plan to create a CAC committee to attend Greek philanthropy events and get more Greeks involved in CAC events.
She also plans to work with other student organizations and stop the over-programming on campus. Her work as co-chair for Springfest and bringing Girl Talk to campus through collaboration with Program Board and AfterDark will prove beneficial as she continues working toward better communication among campus organizations.
The board hopes Pazyniak will follow her platform of listening to student suggestions and gaining their opinions on what the role of vice president of campus activities should be. She wants to engage all members of CAC and this board thinks she will be a dynamic leader as she works to bring a new flavor and unique programs to Miami.
