Polls Open!

Elections have begun and polls are open from now until Thursday at 5. You can vote by going to sg.uchicago.edu and clicking on the "vote here" link on the right hand side!

Be sure to go online and show your support!

VOTE

Campus Lighting

One concern that has come to my attention this year as VP Student Affairs is the issue of lighting on the quads. In the last few years there has been a push to put floodlights on the main quad buildings to "light up campus". This has been said to be a good solution to campus lighting issues as both a safety and an aesthetic measure.

However, the implementation of this lighting project has not accomplished either objective and is instead destructive to overall light pollution, a waste of energy, and a safety liability. The Ryerson Astronomical Society has started a petition to urge the University to use shields on these lights so that such excessive amounts of light to not simply go into the sky where no one benefits from it.

Moreover, the high amount of lighting they throw on buildings at sometimes sporadic intervals actually increases the contrast level that your eye must adjust to and makes it more difficult to view details--not something you want to have to worry about on the main quadrangles.

If elected, I will start a conversation with the Administration about installing shields for these lights, and converting to better standards of down-lighting that are better for the environment, and for safety.

What SG Can Do For You

Over the course of the campaign, I've often been asked the typical question "So, why should I vote for you? What will you do?" At first I answered by briefly outlining our platform and talking briefly about each of our points.

But as the campaign progressed, I came to realize that we're not really running so we can pursue the projects we described in our platform. We're running to represent you, the students, and your voice. So what will we do? Well, tell us what you want us to do!

This is the most important distinction between what SG will be next year and what SG, and governments in the US, have been: full of elected officials who, once elected, are content to sit in their offices and only come out to campaign for reelection.

The current Slate has done an amazing job starting us out along the path to a louder student voice and greater student involvement not only SG affairs, but in University affairs in general. We want to continue and expand their tremendous work, not only by continuing posting minutes, updating the SG blog, sending out surveys, and e-mailing students, but by taking it to the next level. We'll be around the dining areas consistently, introducing ourselves and asking you all what you would like to see changed on campus. After all, a SG is of the students, by the students, and most importantly, FOR the students.

Unified Student Voice

One of the powers of the Executive Slate of SG is to appoint students to all University Committees. These committees often give important and direct feedback to the Administration about specific issues to develop plans that often get executed.

This year's slate has made many such appointments, giving students the chance to express their views with administrators. However, we have not done as good a job keeping in touch with these individuals once they are appointed.

This is very easy to fix. By maintaining lines of communication with appointed students, we will have a better understanding of what is going on in the administration, and can more effectively publicize these actions so that students know their voice is being heard.

RSO Orientation

There is one event every year that is dreaded by all RSO leaders on campus: RSO orientation. This Saturday morning affair leaves students apathetic about ORCSA (often a fantastic resource) and not much better off for having gone. While we won't be able to abolish it, we can work hard to make it much more interesting and specific to the issues that matter to you and your RSO.

For example, on Tuesday I organized an SG forum with the Vice President for Communications Julie Peterson where attendees learned invaluable skills about dealing with the press and media. ORCSA does not hire many field experts, so this could be a day where students attend break-out sessions with experts in their fields to learn about how they can be more effective, in addition to just hearing about the funding process.

Additionally, we can use the time that all RSO leaders are in the same room to build connections among similar groups and enable communication so that groups will be better equipped to work together during the school year, something that I think can add a lot of value to student activities. I often hear complaints that students don't know what is going on in other groups. By meeting at the beginning of the year, working relationships can be formed that could last the whole year.

Accessibility

I think one of the best ways to think about SG and an executive slate is as a conduit-- as a pathway (or more appropriately a megaphone) for your voice. We are your point of entry to student life on campus through funding and resources, and advocating areas that need service.

This campaign is about you, and about our ability to articulate your message. We will hold community meetings in the newly built 5710 Woodlawn building, and show our face at events around campus. We will conduct surveys on important issues to show administrators that students care.

In that line, please, talk to us! Stop us as we pester you in the quads, or hand you a flyer. Post a comment on this blog--we're listening to you!

New Look!

Thanks for visiting our blog with a brand new layout (many many thanks to Evann Smith, our lovely and brilliant webmaster)! We hope that this format gives us an opportunity to more effectively communicate with you.

Campaign Strategy Meeting

Hi Everyone,

Tonight we are having our first campaign strategy meeting at 8:30 PM in RC 001. If you're free please come by! We'll be talking about ways that you can help us win, and will be making campaign materials to post and distribute over the next week.

Also video coming soon!

Cheers,
Matt

Office Hours

One of our main ideas for increasing accessibility, as seen in our platform below, is making Student Government, and especially the Executive Slate, more approachable and visible by holding "office hours," a time when we'll be at the dining halls during lunch or dinner, in the SG office, or otherwise available so you can come and talk to us about anything you want.

We'll be starting holding these "office hours" soon as a way for you to get to know us better and what we stand for. Keep an eye out for times!

Campaign Message

A big part of this campaign is how we connect to all the students who we hope to represent. You'll see that we have a new banner that emphasizes our name, who we are, and once the technical difficulties are worked out, some of the issues we care about.

Talk to us about our issues! It helps us know what students need and how we relate to you.

Look for videos coming soon...

Meet the Slate #2

I'm Julian, the candidate for Vice President of Administration.

I'm a first year in the college and a double major in Classics and Economics. I'm one of the founders of the University of Chicago First Responder Corps (UCFRC) and I currently serve as one of the first year representatives to College Council and I am a member of SGFC, AnnAl, and TSAB.

I originally got involved in SG this October to support change- change to make student life better on campus. Throughout this year I have striven to give RSO's the maximum funding that the Student Activities Fund can offer them, I have worked to ensure the highest efficiency in our campus transportation system, and I have helped to create the Coalition of Chicago Colleges. Still, all this is only a beginning- let's continue to improve!

I'm always available by e-mail (julianq@uchicago.edu) or by my Facebook. I encourage you to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments you may have!

Meet the Slate

My name is Matt and I'm running for President.

I am a third year majoring in Law, Letters and Society and I got involved in Student Government my second year after a hellish experience with annual allocations in the spring of my first year as the Treasurer of the University of Chicago Democrats. I wanted to make the system easier for others to understand, and I served on Annual Allocations and as the chair of the New Initiatives Fund. I am currently the SG Vice President for Student Affairs. If you have any questions, please email me; I'm always around!

Right now I'm taking a class on J.R.R. Tolkien which is the first of many reasons why I love this school and want to make it a better place for all students.

Check out my lame facebook page:

Get Involved

Your voice and involvement is central to our platform and campaign. Stop by our office hours, we'd love to talk to you.

FLYERS

The Platform

• Transparency and Accessibility
• Student Voice
• Support for Campus Workers
• Community
• Sustainability
• Students as a Top Administrative Priority
• RSO Funding

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY.
Open government hinges on visibility and accountability, and it is important to us that we see what the Administration is doing and it should be important to you to see what Student Government is doing. We will continue to use secretaries to take minutes of our SG meetings and use our blog to make sure everyone knows about our dealings with the administration.

We pay the University vast sums of money each quarter. It is important that the Administration go above and beyond to demonstrate how this money is spent, and the priorities they have for University Spending. Obviously this cannot take the form of line-item accounts, but we should be able to have immediate and simple access to knowing what pots of money our tuition goes into.

In addition to being transparent, SG must also be accessible. We will make ourselves a presence on campus and have open office hours as well as times to sit and talk about any issues over meals in the dining halls. We want to know you and your concerns, and we want you to know us!

STUDENT VOICE.
Students should have real agency over decisions that have a large impact on their lives, and need to be involved in the beginning steps of University Decisions when their voice can make a difference. We will work with the administration to voice our concerns, and conduct surveys to listen to students’ opinions. This year Student Government had big successes in bringing back the A-Level all night study space and Emergency Contraception to the SCC, but both were reactions to decisions that were already made. We want to work to have an impact before students feel left behind by carrying out a sustained dialog with the Administration.

Student Government should not have a passive role in listening but one that actively seeks student input and advocates those views to the administration. With greater understanding of student opinion comes a greater ability to advocate for change. Our credibility is fundamentally tied to our ability to know the student body.

SUPPORT FOR CAMPUS WORKERS.
While Student Government is the appropriate forum for working on issues of Student Life with the Administration, when dealing with issues of campus workers (whether or not employees are students), the University should deal with workers directly. TA pay affects all students, and the lack of support in this area needs to be addressed with the employees themselves, and raised to levels commensurate with our peer institutions.

COMMUNITY.
The strength of our community lies in its diversity. Our student community and our relationship with our neighbors can and should be more cohesive and connected. Whether it is issues with the bus stop for the 171 or problems with the University Master Plan, the U of C is an integral part of this neighborhood (the largest employer on the south side!) and should work closely with other stakeholders.

The idea of campus community is the inspiration for our name, and we feel like the student body needs to feel more connected. How many undergraduates want to go to law, or business school, or even academia and would benefit from connections with other students who had been in their shoes recently? By thinking of ways that all 14,414 students can relate and share in their UChicago experience.

SUSTAINABILITY.
Sustainability captures the idea that we are building for the future. This not only incorporates ideas of environmental sustainability (itself very important), but also ways in which we interact and build that will build for the next generation of students. The University has made some steps in the right direction in terms of its environmental efforts by hiring a sustainability coordinator, but this is only a part-time position. If the University made this issue a priority, they would work with a full-time coordinator on a master plan for University Sustainability.

STUDENTS AS A TOP ADMINISTRATIVE PRIORITY.
When the University is setting its priorities for fundraising and spending, the top of the list should be support for students at the University. It is disheartening to hear the Provost state that gargoyles are falling off buildings as a reason to not fund current graduate students. Students here are smart enough to know that a physical plant needs maintenance, but we want to know we are a top priority. This is important for many reasons: students make this their home, and they should feel part of a vibrant student life, and have the resources to focus on academic and co-curricular pursuits without excessive fear of debt, loans, or starvation! Whether through Financial Aid to match peer institutions or support for Teaching Assistants that fits the cost of living, Students should be shown the support the deserve. This should also have a regenerative effect, as students who have a better time on campus should be more willing to give back to their Alma Mater.

RSO FUNDING
Student Groups go through a lot of work to put on great programming and to make campus a more enjoyable place for everyone. Finding the money to make this happen should not become a nightmare, and as student leaders, we know this well!!! We are willing to work with all student groups to make the process as simple as possible to create a vibrant student life.

The Candidates

MATT KENNEDY My name is Matt and I'm running for President. I am a third year majoring in Law, Letters and Society and I got involved in Student Government my second year after a hellish experience with annual allocations in the spring of my first year as the Treasurer of the University of Chicago Democrats. I wanted to make the system easier for others to understand, and I served on Annual Allocations and as the chair of the New Initiatives Fund. I am currently the SG Vice President for Student Affairs. If you have any questions, please email me; I'm always around! Right now I'm taking a class on J.R.R. Tolkien which is the first of many reasons why I love this school and want to make it a better place for all students. Check out my Facebook page:

JULIAN QUINTANILLA I'm Julian, the candidate for Vice President of Administration. I'm a first year in the college and a double major in Classics and Economics. I'm one of the founders of the University of Chicago First Responder Corps (UCFRC) and I currently serve as one of the first year representatives to College Council and I am a member of SGFC, AnnAl, and TSAB. I originally got involved in SG this October to support change- change to make student life better on campus. Throughout this year I have striven to give RSO's the maximum funding that the Student Activities Fund can offer them, I have worked to ensure the highest efficiency in our campus transportation system, and I have helped to create the Coalition of Chicago Colleges. Still, all this is only a beginning- let's continue to improve! I'm always available by e-mail (julianq@uchicago.edu) or by my Facebook. I encourage you to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments you may have!

TOUSSAINT LOSIER I'm Toussaint, the candidate for Vice President of Student Affairs.  I'm a second year doctoral student in the History Department and the current President of the Graduate Council's Graduate Funding Committee. For more than a year, I've been active in the Graduate Funding Committee and Graduate Students United, working with other graduate students on issues like teaching pay, health care, and stipend support. Here is an op-ed I co-wrote for the Maroon on these issues.   Aside from working on graduate funding issues, I'm also active in the MGSA and STOP. This quarter, I'm working as a TA for a Politics of the Hip Hop Generation. If you see me on campus, feel free to stop me to ask a question or reach me by e-mail (tlosier[at]uchicago.edu).

Campaign Begins!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to our weblog. This is where you can find information about our campaign and learn about our slate, about our platform, and about us. I hope that you will follow us over the next two weeks as we articulate our vision for the future of Student Life on campus!

Sincerely,
Matt Kennedy
Candidate for Student Government President