Candidates
gear up for stretch run
Mounkes-Schriber
campaign stresses more involvement from students
Catherine
Quill - Associate Editor
With the slogan
"Why Not?" guiding their campaign, one of the first priorities
for Matthew "Goose" Mounkes and Matthew Schriber would
be to encourage more students to participate in campus activities.
"My major
goal is student involvement," said vice presidential candidate
Schriber. "I would like to see a unified front of SGA, WASU,
The Appalachian and A.P.P.S. (Appalachian Popular Programming Society).
We can make everyone's college experience a lot more enjoyable."
However, Schriber
realizes students will make their own decision about becoming involved
in campus activities.
"I can't
make them want to participate," he said. Schriber said it is
important to make involvement more "easily available."
Schriber hopes
this year's election will be one area where student participation
increases.
"It doesn't
matter who you vote for as long as you vote," he said.
Presidential
candidate Mounkes also added that school pride will be beneficial
in achieving what they believe to be their most important platform
goal.
"Pride
will bring about involvement," he said.
Both candidates
agree the growth of Appalachian State University is disturbing,
but understand the need for it.
Mounkes said
growth will increase the positive reputation of Appalachian but
is concerned about the aesthetic offerings of the campus.
"It saddens
me that some (green space) will be lost," he said. Mounkes
added the best way to combat this problem would be to develop a
plan for the future of the campus green space.
"I like
the small population," agreed Schriber, but added, "Appalachian
deserves to grow. It deserves a high ranking." However, he
also worries some of the university's character may be compromised
by its growth.
"I think
one of the main reasons people come here is for the small population.
When we lose that, we're going to lose a lot of why people come
here," he said.
Schriber can
also see another benefit arising from the growth of the university.
"Maybe
with growth, we'll have greater diversity," he said.
Mounkes and
Schriber are two of the many students who see the lack of cultural
diversity at Appalachian as a drawback, but Schriber said this obstacle
may be difficult to overcome.
"I'm a
25-year-old white male," he said. "I know nothing about
diversity. All I know is people are people."
He said the
best course of action for dealing with the lack of diversity is
a "listen and learn" method.
"We as
SGA would have to participate more in minority activities,"
he said. "SGA could be a powerhouse for any organization it
gets behind. It can help to make other organizations just as big
and permanent."
Mounkes said
immediate results for the problem start with the way Appalachian
is presented to potential students.
"I think
they're going to have to market ASU as a place everyone will want
to come," he said.
Although Mounkes
and Schriber were not members of SGA this year, they have noticed
some needed changes for the organization.
"Some
things work and some things don't," said Mounkes, but mentioned
that SGA was "definitely getting to new levels."
"I want
people to be more comfortable with SGA," said Schriber. "Their
opinions and views are just as important as everyone else's."
Schriber hopes
the "untouchable" image of SGA members could be lost if
the organization had a more inviting image.
"We'll
do what the student body wants us to do if they just come to us,"
he said.
Mounkes added,
"Our doors will always be open," and both candidates support
the idea of receiving phone calls from concerned students and making
suggestion boxes available.
However, both
candidates were impressed by SGA's initiative when senate members
introduced a bill calling for support to repeal Section 484 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 that denies federal financial aid to
students convicted of a drug offense.
Schriber was
disappointed with the results of the vote, which defeated the bill.
"That did
not reflect the views and opinions of the student body," he
said.
"I agree
with the intent of the bill," said Mounkes, but questioned
why Section 484 made no mention of students who had committed violent
or sexual crimes.
Although both
candidates follow the events of SGA, Mounkes admits to having no
formal experience, but thinks his other traits will compensate for
this area.
"I like
to think I work extremely well under pressure," said Mounkes.
"I keep up with current events."
He said his
willingness to try new things and his ability to adapt to change
will guide him as president.
Mounkes said
his radio experience will be an asset for his position. "I
can pull out all the stops," he said.
Schriber carries
with him experience gained from his high school years.
"I participated
in student government in my high school," he said. "I
did attend the Youth Legislative Assembly held by the Youth Advocacy
and Involvement Office four years in a row."
Schriber continued
to say the program gives students a chance to experience the parliamentary
procedure.
Schriber was
also selected to be the chairman of the Substance Abuse Committee
for two years while attending the assembly.
Mounkes said
their platform goals are all possible, but thinks the idea of more
flexible scheduling will be the most difficult to achieve.
He would like
to see online classes be offered and a reduction in the price of
parking ticket fees if paid within a certain amount of time.
Schriber said
enthusiasm will be key to a successful election.
He also said
the pair's approachable image will foster a workable environment
in SGA.
"We're
just like everyone else," he said.
Privette:
abstention on Section 484 resolution was not a political maneuver
Leslie Hitchcock
- SGA Election Corespondent
Suspicion has
surrounded SGA vice presidential candidate Amanda Privette since
she abstained from voting on the Higher Education Act of 1965 Section
484 resolution, which was brought before the Senate March 20.
Even though
the Senate eventually shot down the piece of legislation by a narrow
margin of 22-24-2, Privette was in the spotlight for her vote.
"A lot
of people have approached me wanting to know the answer (to why
I abstained from voting)," she said.
"This
was not a political move."
Privette, who
met with Doughton Hall's Resident Student Association before the
vote, believed she was unable to present all of the facts concerning
Section 484 to her constituents.
"Members
of my constituency were very confused, and there were a lot of questions
that I couldn't answer," she said.
Privette now
feels she has the knowledge to vote accordingly when the legislation
reappears before the Senate.
The legislation
will appear on the agenda as new business before the Senate again
tonight, and she plans on conferring with her constituents to vote
for their opinion on the repeal.
"Xan (Harrington,
Privette's running mate) and I are in support of the repeal of Section
484," she said. "We think that everyone deserves an equal
chance to financial aid ... that is our personal opinion."
SUPPORTING,
INFORMING STUDENTS
Currently as
a senator, Privette has been working on legislation to post course
syllabi on the university's Web site for student accessibility,
which is also one of Harrington-Privette's platform goals.
"This piece
of legislation is meant to make students' lives easier, so they
can see how many books they will have to purchase, or if their teacher
focuses more on test-taking than paper-writing," Privette said.
This goal is
a way to hold professors accountable to students, said Harrington.
Students will
know what the professors' expectations are and vice versa.
Although Privette's
legislation was not passed in Senate, she is currently researching
it to add further strength. She is speaking with professors to ensure
their support of the legislation, as well as collecting syllabi
to have the materials ready to implement when it is passed in Senate.
"To have
(the information) ... on a disk, I think that would show strength
in the legislation," she said.
Presently,
students and administrators are working together to form a Multicultural
Task Force, which would represent minority students and reach out
to prospective students.
Out of the more
than 12,000 undergraduate students on campus, only 602 are minority
students, according to Tracey Wright, assistant director of the
Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL).
Because of this
imbalance, administrators try to reach out to minorities to encourage
them to attend this university.
Harrington,
who supports this idea, feels it took several years to come to fruition
because there are several outlets to go through to get it approved.
"Because it is student-initiated, (it is necessary) to go through
the administration in order to get it passed," he said.
"It is
a great idea, it is an original idea, and maybe in the past people
haven't thought about it," Harrington continued.
"Maybe
people have been too focused on (coordinating) these roundtables
... these discussions (instead of action)."
Harrington also
brought up the idea that it is very difficult for students to communicate
with administrators. "I'm very glad that we finally got students
who are willing to take that initiative... If we're elected, our
administration is going to support that to the utmost because that
is very important."
Privette likened
the situation to the Occam's Razor theory: Sometimes the best solution
is the simplest one. "No one thinks of it until everything
else has been tried."
Not only related
to campus, it is also a matter of changing the community attitude,
Harrington said. "The example (I've heard is) of an African-
American student going to the store and not being able to find the
hair-care product they're used to purchasing."
University officials
work to educate the community as well as the campus without affronting
it, which is difficult, Harrington said.
"A lot
of times, people have been hesitant because they don't want to offend
the community because we're trying to bridge a gap between the two."
Both Harrington
and Privette serve on the Academic Integrity Committee, which has
toiled for approximately three years to integrate an Academic Integrity
Code to student academic life.
Together, with
the Academic Integrity Committee, the duo have been traveling to
organizations on campus to inform them of the code and how it will
affect their everyday academic experience.
"We've
also informed them of alternatives to cheating other than just practicing
honesty," Harrington said.
With the assistance
of a faculty member, the members of the committee conduct workshops
on study tips, which they have presented to numerous organizations.
"We go
to Freshman Seminar classes, fraternities and sororities, student
government, Black Student Association," Harrington said.
"Even though
there are only 15 (Academic Integrity Committee members), we reach
out to the entire student body."
Voting takes
place on the Appalachian State Web site April 2-5.
Tew and
Wheelahan opt for long-term goals; aim to change policy
John T. Bennett
- Interim Editor
Jeff Tew and
running mate Richard Wheelahan saw only two options when preparing
a strategic blueprint for their campaign for Student Government
Association (SGA) president and vice president.
The pair of
junior political science majors felt they could establish a list
of easily attainable platform goals that would be appealing to voters,
or the duo could focus on the big picture by pursuing initiatives
intended to alter university policy and improve the university over
time.
Tew and Wheelahan
chose the latter plan.
"I could
put together a list of platform goals based on what the university
is already going to do É and people are doing that this year,"
Tew said. "Or, I could make a platform goal to have a great
Homecoming, and I could seem to be a success as a president."
Tew said the
alternative to "easy goals" which can be met in one year
is to see and understand the big picture.
"We can't
just sit and come up with all these ideas just for the purpose of
getting elected," Tew said. "We came up with (longer-term)
goals because we care about this university and want to make it
a better place."
The vice presidential
candidate said he felt there is a difference between an attractive
platform goal and pursuing an agenda of significant policy revisions,
and pointed to a goal presented by opponents Xan Harrington and
Amanda Privette.
"If we
wanted to give you wrist pads for a keyboard (in campus computer
labs), we could have done that. But, we could probably do that in
one week and have them ordered," Wheelahan said. "We're
looking for things more significant than keyboard wrist-rests."
Several of
those long-term campus improvement initiatives listed on Tew and
Wheelahan's official campaign material includes the following: creating
a system to allow students greater flexibility in scheduling final
exams, enhancing diversity recruitment, and bolstering the honors
and foreign language programs.
The campaign
material also states the duo plans to fight further student fee
hikes by holding the administration accountable for spending university
monies, and preserve green space on the west side of campus, if
elected.
The two juniors
said they would pursue each of the above campaign objects, but if
elected would work to avoid the threat of being lulled into a state
of legislative tunnel vision.
"I don't
want to focus on one thing because you never know what's going to
happen," Tew said. "If we put all of our eggs in one basket,
we would be limiting some of those other things that could get accomplished."
The presidential
hopeful added an SGA administration must remain ever-ready to redirect
its focus from one policy or bill to another as situations change,
a fact that can shift the impetus away from platform objects.
In the pursuit
of laying the foundation for their long-term campaign objectives,
the duo said if elected they will continue to meet with various
student organizations, a move designed to allow students to present
the potential SGA president and vice president with ideas on how
legislation should be shaped.
"Ideas
must come from a wide array of groups, not just us," Tew said.
Asked if he
could see only one piece of legislation pass the Senate under his
guidance, the vice presidential contender stated, "I promise
it's not serving, leading and excelling,"
His running
mate tackled the same question by pointing to a reoccurring theme
of the team's campaign, building on and completing ideas and plans
introduced during previous SGA administrations.
"The most
important thing on the list is Project Nightlife," Tew said.
The presidential
contender added the proposed addition of a Chinese minor and the
implementation of mandatory online course syllabi to the trio of
things he would like to see become reality if elected.
"Why are
those three things possible? Because they were started in September
(by Bolick-Powell)," Tew said.
While platform
goals and leadership plans have drawn most of the attention during
the three-week campaign period, the current SGA Director of Academic
Affairs offered a bit of advice to students as they consider for
whom to cast their votes today through Thursday.
"Our campaign
is about two guys -- Jeff and Richard. If you like us and think
we'll do a good job, then vote for us," Tew said.
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