2008 Woodie Awards
The Miami Student endorses candidates for ASG elections
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Editorials
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Student Body President
Trusting his experience, broad agenda and enthusiasm for the position, this board endorses Mike Scott for the position of student body president. Impressing us with his knowledgeable stances on a multitude of on- and off-campus issues, we believe that his tenure as an off-campus senator, working relationship with Oxford Mayor Prue Dana and ideas about connecting student interests to the community at-large goes beyond an agenda that simply focuses on borderline important, campus-only affairs. The ability for students to impact the Oxford Comprehensive Plan would be of enormous benefit to the whole Miami community. Furthermore, we fully believe that Scott would be a visible, important leader to continue on the progress made by current Student Body President Jens Sutmöller.
Unlike other individuals within ASG, Scott has shown an ability to be in constant communication not only with the plethora of current ASG members, but also with community members-from individual residents to the city's governing body. Scott appears not only to understand the complexity and fundamental undercurrents of issues facing the student body, but has also made himself a fixture at campus events-something that this board would like to see more of if Scott is elected.
Vice President of the Student Body
Running unopposed for the position of Vice President of the Student Body, Courtney Cochran has gained the support of this board based on the connections that she has already begun to build with other universities around Ohio through the newly established Ohio Student Government Association (OSGA). Her experience as president of the Residence Hall Association has already allowed her access to regional and national engagement with other student leaders, and will most likely prove to be an essential component of her resumé as she enters the premier creation of this ASG position.
Even though she is guaranteed a victory in the election, this editorial board feels it is important to outline several suggestions as to what we feel is important for the success of this new position. First-and Cochran has already demonstrated an initial willingness to accede to this-she must be a strong leader, even after running a relaxed campaign. Cochran is the first to step into this position, as it was created prior to the election as a combination of duties of now obsolete cabinet positions.
Second, she must be visible and open to student forums and suggestions. While the vast majority of the responsibilities for this position will occur behind-the-scenes, it is important not to ignore the concerns of the average student. This is especially true since she will be lobbying for Miami students on a state level through OSGA.
Vice President of Student Organizations
After a close vote, this board endorses Jonathan McNabb for vice president of student organizations. Serving for one year on the student senate funding committee and as a treasurer for College Republicans for a year and a half, McNabb has seen the funding process from multiple perspectives. His plans for the position center around improving communication within ASG and increasing awareness of the funding process by holding more open forums and by developing a comprehensive funding guidebook that will be distributed to student organizations at the beginning of the academic year.
McNabb plans to establish an endowment that will help ASG collect money over time and help reduce student government's reliance on student fee dollars. McNabb also recognizes that if elected, debt relief for student organizations will be an important part of his position. He has laid out specific plans for how this system should work in order to promote responsibility while not removing money from event funding. The board warns, however, that McNabb should take into account structures that are being created by current cabinet members to reduce student organization debt, because if he rewrites these, it could lead to a confusing and overly complicated situation.
This board would like to emphasize how difficult this decision was to make, but in the end decided for change and favored financial management ideas over status quo attempts to solve questions of planning and budget crunches.
Vice President of Campus Activities Council
We endorse Peyton Stanforth for this position, based on his three years of experience with the Campus Activities Council (CAC) and his service as chair of the Spirit Board. Stanforth's experience will provide him with the necessary skills to tackle the challenges of booking famous acts and prominent speakers, as well as handling smaller-scale events on-campus. Stanforth has pledged to increase communication with the different programming branches of Miami, which he recognized as a significant problem in recent years.
Stanforth also plans to "bring tradition back" for Miami's bicentennial year by actively engaging all areas of the student body in the planning and execution of events related to the celebration. Stanforth also recognizes the role of CAC in improving student spirit and pride, which he thinks is related to attendance at athletic events and attendance at on-campus events when there is a decrease in program participation. We believe his combination of enthusiasm, experience and organization will allow him to improve Miami's programming.
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