Issue # 19– April 17, 2011

Student Government Elections – April 18th through April 21, 2011!

                 Phil Amsler & Greg Pollock                        Chris Scott & Dave Mullaney

Beginning Monday, April 18th through Thursday, April 21st, 2011, voting will take place in the Spring quarter elections to fill the following Student Government positions:

Throughout the month of March, various meet and greets took place and on April 8th, the candidates for President and Vice President faced off for a debate in the Campus Center Reading Room.  If you were unable to attend, you can find out more information on these candidates on Student Government’s website at http://www.rit.edu/sg/elections/presvp-candidates/.  In addition, candidates Greg Pollock and Phil Amsler and Dave Mullaney and Chris Scott were asked to answer three questions for Open Door readers to help you make an informed choice this week.  Read below for their responses:

 

Open Door: What is your most important reason for running for President/Vice President of Student Government for the 2011-2012 academic year?
Greg Pollock (Presidential candidate):  Students. I cannot emphasize that enough. I was inspired by students and I am here because of students. I want nothing more than to give back to them for all they have done for me. We all face common issues that need real solutions. And for the past four years, through Res-Life, the NTID Student Congress, and Student Government, I dedicated myself to exploring possible solutions.   A strong campus is dependent on students, and every student has a story. In the end, I just want to help them have the best ones possible.

 

Phil Amsler (Vice-Presidential candidate):  Students, students, and students!  Students are the backbone of the university.  Not only do we pay the bills, but we also become representatives of the university, and hopefully one day will become alumni.  For some reason though, students are often the most neglected voice on campus.  My goal as SG vice president will be to continue my journey of making campus improvements that make life easier for students.  Simple things like rollover debit, and lounge furniture are just two examples while I was at RHA.  At SG last year I acquired funding for Red Barn renovations, and extended the SAU breakfast hours from 10am to 10:30am.  These changes aren't life changing accomplishments but they all build to the ultimate goal of having happy students.  Student life is what this university should be focused on, and my goal as SG VP will be to ensure that we the students have the best experience possible at RIT. 

 

Dave Mullaney (Presidential candidate): Chris and I are focused on initiating a culture change within Student Government; we want to put the focus of Student Government back into advocating for Students. We are discouraged by the trends that SG has followed the last few years, like spending $9,500 annually on SG end of the year celebrations/banquets (including this year.) We want to take a look at how SG operates and if those practices are truly in line with our mission of advocating for Students and fostering Student Life at RIT. We believe that we can expand upon the services that we offer to students and organizations, through optimizations “in house.”  Student Government this year has focused too much on trying to “make people feel good” and trying to foster a sense of community and spirit. Chris and I plan to make sure that SG is actually advocating and fighting for enhancements to Student Life at RIT, which is why we have set reasonable goals that will make a positive impact in the day to day lives of students.

 

Chris Scott (Vice Presidential candidate): My most important reason for running for Vice President for next year is the “reconstruction” of Student Government as an organization. There are many changes going on in Student Government lately, such as our new implementation of a Greek Senator and also the recent changes to elections processes for certain positions. These are great examples of how Student Government is reacting to an ever changing campus and list of needs from students, and it is my greatest passion to ensure that SG is really catering to what students need. The most important thing for this organization is that we do not lose sight of why we exist, which is to serve the students. Dave and I feel that goal has gotten a bit skewed recently and needs to be adjusted so as best to serve the RIT campus.

 

Open Door:  If elected, what is the one thing you hope to accomplish for the student body next year?
Greg Pollock (Presidential candidate):  As I said earlier, I dedicated a great deal of my time getting involved in the RIT community and exploring real solutions to real challenges. During my time in the NTID Student Congress, I worked to bring an ASL Center to the SAU and implement a Cross-Registered Senator in order to bring RIT and NTID one step closer to bridging the gap between cultures.   As the current President of Student Government I am working with a task team to bring downtown bus transportation to a reality and securing an ASL Minor program to begin this fall.  Despite our success with the REAL RIT Challenge this year, parking and housing continues to be a challenge among students -- it is my hope to tie up the loose ends on this for once and for all.

 

Phil Amsler (Vice-Presidential candidate):  I would love to make more strides toward making the campus much better for student living.  A simple example would be making a bus schedule that shows live times and locations of the buses so that students don't have to waste time waiting for buses in Gleason circle.  Another example I would like to see happen would be the implementation of a laundry program that allows students to see how much time is remaining on their washer or dryers.  Also you could look at each laundry room to determine if it is worth hauling a heavy laundry basket down before leaving the comfort of your bed.  I feel that these are very simple improvements that RIT can and should implement not only because they would be cool for a tech school to have but also because students would use them for their convenience. 

 

Dave Mullaney (Presidential candidate):  One of our biggest goals for next year is the changes Chris and I have for Parking and Transportation. We plan to add a real-time GPS tracking system to our campus buses, like RPI has (http://shuttles.rpi.edu), we want to modify our bus schedule handouts so they are easier to read, we want to create an interactive trip planning application so that students can easily plan out a trip on or off campus using RIT transportation, and want to explore adding a carpool parking pass system which would allow all students (including those living in RIT apartments) the ability to drive to campus.  These goals are designed to be very impactful to the services that students rely on daily, and many are changes that can be made with little-to-no additional resources. To read more about our goals head over to http://votedaveandchris.com/goals.

 

Chris Scott (Vice Presidential candidate): One of the biggest goals I have for next year is collaboration amongst MSOs and Clubs. Student Government is a huge promoter of collaboration amongst student organizations, but has a habit of standing alone when it comes to Student Government related topics. For instance, we hold very few events that are collaborative with other organizations. Instead, we merely plan an event and then ask for “help” from our MSOs. This is something that definitely needs to be changed. Every student group on campus represents a unique group of interests, and these resources all need to be brought together in order to truly reach out to each and every student.  One solution Dave and I see to this problem is SG-sponsored leadership events that would create outstanding opportunities for networking and connection between clubs and organizations.

 

Open Door:  Why do you think you are the best candidate for President/Vice President?
Greg Pollock (Presidential candidate):  Simply put, I wasn't always in Student Government. I was once on the outside looking in. I understand what it's like to wish that my voice mattered.  Before I was the President of RIT's Student Government, I was the President of NSC (one of RIT's 10 Major Student Organizations), and prior to that I was a Resident Advisor.  I realize how privileged Student Government is compared to other student clubs and organizations and because of that, I feel that Student Government sometimes forgets to remind students that it is led by students for students.  So, I want to give SG back to the student body by having a more transparent SG budget (they are student activity fees after all) and more public senate meetings.  I also feel very fortunate to have the ability to offer some perspective for both the NTID and RIT communities.  I've always felt that this gave me a very well rounded field of experience.  I do my best to show my support to RIT by being present at as many MSO/club/organization events as I can (e.g. Mud Tug, Unification, RIT/Gally Sports Weekend, etc.) I am more than just a fan of RIT hockey; I am a true fan of RIT. 

 

Phil Amsler (Vice-Presidential candidate):  One word-experience. My previous work experience with SG and RHA is unmatched on the current ticket.  I have worked very closely with many administrators and look forward to continuing that next year.  I established a good working relationship with dining services, housing, and parking during my years at RHA, and I look forward to using these connections to help fix current problems in each department.  Many students are frustrated with a lack of parking, housing, and food options and so on, but the only way to alleviate these problems is working with SG senators and administrators in full collaboration to fix these problems.  Only then will students have their voice heard and will problems start to be fixed.  This is the strategy I used to get most of my previous accomplishments which speak for themselves, and I will continue to use it to make this campus the best it can be.

 

Dave Mullaney (Presidential candidate):  Chris and I have a combined 6 years of experience on the Student Government Cabinet and Senate, this experience is invaluable in being able to create positive change for students. Not only do Chris and I have longstanding relationships with many key RIT administrators, we also have the necessary experience to start working from Day 1 and won’t spend months of our time just getting acclimated to our roles.  Our opponents openly admit that they are running on the same exact platform that won them the election last year, which just illustrates how they have been unable to complete the goals they set for themselves.  Chris and I have accomplished or put significant time towards completing each and every goal we set for ourselves at the beginning of this year and have tackled other student issues that have been presented to us in SG Senate.  Next year will be no different as Chris and I have taken great care and time to ensure that our goals are both meaningful and reachable.  We will hold SG Accountable to the standards we have set and you should too!  For more information on Chris and I -check out our website at http://votedaveandchris.com . Vote Dave and Chris and Expect More!

 

Chris Scott (Vice Presidential candidate): I feel I would make the best Vice President because of my two years’ experience as a Senator.  As the only returning Senator this year, I feel I have invaluable experience that is absolutely necessary for a Vice President to conduct an efficient Senate and to manage a productive group of Senators.  Senators are one of Student Government’s most important methods of reaching out to students in an academic setting and it is incredibly important for the Senator’s supervisor, the Vice President, to know what it takes to make the most out of these positions.

 

Beginning on Monday, students can log onto this site and cast their vote: http://apps.rit.edu/its/vote/.  This site is provided by ITS to facilitate elections conducted by campus organizations.  To gain access to this site, you will be required to log in with your RIT Computer Account. This is necessary to determine your eligibility to vote in elections and to register your participation. All submitted votes are anonymous and cannot be tracked back to your account.

 

Good luck to all the candidates!

 

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