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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1984)
Student body president DAVID ALDERS Junior Major: Agricultural Econom ics The election of student leaders this year will be quite significant due to the current environment of the decision- making process. Texas A&M is undergoing transition is many facets of its operation, not the least of which is at the administrative level. To a greater extent than hereto fore, the faculty will have in creased influence on Univer sity policy through! the Faculty Senate. While this in put should be welcomed, it is imperative that students con tinue to make positive, credi ble contributions through our elected leadership. Your newly elected student body president must possess a broad vision of what Student Government can become and must be capable of halting any further erosion of stu dent input into the decision DIANE BAUMBACH Senior Major: Accounting An effective student body president needs to exhibit three essential qualities: fore sight, communication, and action. In order to accompl ish the goals of Student Gov ernment, the president must be sensitive to the issues that will require the most atten tion. Next year will be an ac tive year: the Faculty Senate has established a committee to research the possibilities of implementing a campus-wide core curriculum, which could possibly give students the chance to take more free elec tives and acquire a more lib eral education. I know that students’ opinions on this is sue will be diverse — I will make sure that this issue and other equally important ones are thoroughly researched by Student Government before it is too late to affect the out come. Once foresight has tar geted the appropriate issues to be addressed, communica tion is essential. I believe that Student Government exists for the sole purpose of rep resenting the student view. making process. Some of my positions fol low. The advising system must be modified to allow students to gain personal, consistent, and detailed ad vice regarding their educatio nal opportunities. Efforts to maintain the status quo with regard to senior final exam policy must be expanded so that Aggies can continue to participate in a meaningful, timely commencement cere mony. The curriculum of many degree programs must be en riched so as to allow students the freedom to engage in a complete educatinal experi ence. The resources and fa cilities of the University li brary must be expanded if Texas A&M is to increase its academic stature. Student opinions must be advanced capably and credibly on such issues as the construction of a new special events center, parking and traffic flow pro posals, and the expansion of We must communicate with other students and student leaders in order to know what that view is. Finally, Student Govern ment’s job does not end with forming an opinion. Action must be taken. I have a his tory of showing initiative and dedication to get the job done. I work hard for things I truly believe in — namely Texas A&M and Student Government. the student center complex. Having served as Speaker of the Senate, as student rep- resentatvie to the Faculty Senate, and as a member of the Ghancellor’s Student Ad visory Board, I feel qualified to successfully represent you. GRANT SWARTZ- WELDER Junior Major: Petroleum Engi neering Student Government has incredible potential to posi tively affect student life. However, for this potential to be realized, Student Govern ment must regain its direc tion. With the emergence of the Faculty Senate and the nearing national elections, the upcoming year will de mand Student Government has many resources. More in teraction is needed between all organizations which will result in proper presentation and significant contributions to student life. The Big Event and the Academic Affairs Tutorial Service are successes because of combined student efforts. By communicating needed KEITH GARMIGHAEL Junior Major: marketing Having been involved in Student Government for three years, I realize the im portance it plays in instituting new programs and solving problems. I have also had the opportunity to see the many areas that Student Govern ment is lacking, the main one being effectively representing the student body. In the past few years there has been a trend in the Stu dent Government toward doing whatever they feel is best instead of researching the student body’s opinion. As student body president, I would not only try to reverse this inclusive attitude pos sessed by Student Govern- JAY HOLLAND Senior Major: Finance I’ve been active in a diverse group of activities, including Student Government, and understand the needs of stu dents as a whole. As vice pres ident for external affairs, I was responsible for oversee ing and initiating all intergo vernmental, intercolegiate, business consumer, former student, and charitable rela tions between Texas A&M student and outside interests, including the Aggie Olympics and the Christian Children's Fund Village of Hope pro ject. I’ve attended numerous workshops and seminars with regard to student activities. I’ve studied techniques in stu dent activism and voter regis tration at Harvard Univer sity. With your vote as support, I would be concerned with people, not politics. I would stress the initiation of inter information, Student Gov ernment will fulfill one of its most important responsibili ties to the student. I plan to use the Executive Aides to provide and gather needed information to the Corps, Greeks, MSC, etc. I will also utilize The Battalion by sub mitting articles which provide information on the plans, ac tions and programs of the Student Government. Increased communication and coordination will provide unity between student groups while representing and serv ing the student body. To ac complish these goals experi ence is necessary. Serving as vice president of academic af fairs, local election judge and in various positions within the college of Engineering, the importance of student inter action was evident. As stu dent body president, I will ment, but also try to solve what I feel to be the student body’s largest problem — lack of cooperation. With 36,000 students, all involved in dif ferent activities and heading in different directions, it is very easy for an individual to forget about all the other stu dents and how they might feel about an issue. Through the establishment of a Uni versity Committee to discuss student issues, which would include representatives from the Corps, MSC, OCA, Pan- hellenic Council, RHA, Stu dent “Y”, and Student Gov ernment, I feel this problem would be solved. This com mittee could prove to be very beneficial in the future help ing the student body be more successful when issues like se nior final exams arise. Many times the student body presi- governmenlal relations, in cluding involvement in a na tional student lobby in order to give A&M students greater representation on respective governmental levels. I would devote full attention to the job, concentrating on an open-door policy and initiat ing the influx of new people, as well as their ideas and sug gestions. commitment of lime and ef fort is required to implement these goals. I am committed to increasing student input into worthwhile and realistic programs. strive to facilitate increased campus-wide interaction. More importantly, a firm dent is referred to as a leader. I would prefer to call him a coordinator. The coordinator of 36,000 students.