Page 5 Wednesday • March 26, 1997 Voter’s Guide Jason Evans +Alex King Student Body President Candidate Student Body President Candidate 1 Howdy. My name is Jason Evans. Let me begin by telling you a few things about myself. I am a junior account ing major from Houston. Also, I am an Eagle Scout and a Christian. I have volunteered my time for the students of Texas A&M University for over two years. In that time, I have Worked with a good number of stu- |mt organizations including: Isidence Hall Association, Habitat |r Humanity, the Class of ’98 council jnd COSGA, to name just a few. 11 come to you today to ask you for )our support in the upcoming elec tion. I can provide you, the students, exactly what you want to see happen With Student Government and Texas ft University. First, I believe in accountability to students. I would like the students to dictate to me how you want Student Government to Work for you. I Next, I believe that the student body president should be responsive to the needs of the students. One tieed that I feel should be addressed is computer registration of classes. Other universities have this system, including Sam Houston State University where my twin brother is going to school, and he tells me it is igreatfor the students. ■ Third, I believe in an “open door” policy for the student body presi dent. In a survey just released by The Battalion, over 60-percent of the stu dent body did not know the current president’s name. That is why on all of my publicity tools I have used across campus, I have made my e- . Inail address and phone number readily available. I would hope that any student would feel free to let me | know what they think of the ^University, Student Government or ; any other aspect of student life. Also, (would hold “Chat-N-Chews” in order to obtain further input from the student body. I Finally, I believe that being ►involved on campus is very impor- , Itant, and the student body president should play a role in “the other edu cation.” If you would like to be ^involved in an organization but do [notknow where to start, then feel free o call me, and I will point you in the T right direction. fl To close, remember that a vote for | Evans is a vote for honesty, integrity I and responsibility. Howdy! An Aggie that won the gold medal in the Olympics once stated, “t-sips give back to t.u. IN SPITE of \ their experience, but Aggies give back to A&M BECAUSE of their experience.” The recognition of A&M as the best public institution of higher education in the state of Texas from the new issue of Texas Monthly shows that we have come a long way to earn the tide of a world class university. There have been an inordinate amount of changes that we have undergone — from 10,000 students just a few decades ago to 43,000 students and the highest number of undergraduates in all of America. .Through my experience in Student Government, MSC, RHA, Fish Camp and the Corps of Cadets, I have developed a unique ability to understand and devel op creative solutions that will effectively improve student life at Texas A&M. In preparing myself to be the best candi date I have: • Communicated with the past 30 years of student body presidents • Researched an extensive compilation of Battalion mail calls, columns, articles, Texas Aggie Publications and Senate leg islation • Created solid relations with adminis tration, Old Ags, faculty, students and stu dent leaders All of these efforts have formulated a vision of providing the most opportunity for us to achieve our maximum potential and the greatest experience as students of Texas A&M University. We can achieve this through representing the students, inclusiveness, improving campus Services and The Future of Texas A&M. Accomplishing these goals will make a difference for all students at Texas A&M. The reason that I have chosen to run for student body president lies in the ring that we all wear on our fingers when we leave here. Aggies continue to return to this school years later and reflect upon the values and beliefs that were instilled in them. Values that they carried forth through everything they do — their career, their families, their community, their lives. The tradition of greatness moves us forward. Texas A&M becomes a touchstone in our lives since it means being a part of something larger than ourselves. That is why A&M is great. That is what it means to be an Aggie. By empowering the students, we can enable ourselves to obtain the highest quality of education, ensure the con stant development of student leader ship and commitment to the positive Aggie Experience. My homepage address is http://acs.tamu.edu/-pak4724/pres.html >Matt Mayfield Student Body President Candidate Howdy! My name is Matt Mayfield. I am a senior Animal Science major from Brownsboro, and a proud member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 1997. Stars are what I chose as my campaign theme because I feel that stars are a great symbol of opportunity. When I was 18 years old, I grabbed the brightest star that I could find. That was the opportunity to attend Texas A&M University. Over the past four four years, I have continued to benefit from that opportunity in the form of great expe riences, friends and memories, I have served in the Student Senate for three years, one as the Rules and Regulations chair. I also have been a member of Traditions Council, Saddle & Sirloin and a counselor in three separate Fish Camps. This past year, I was able to serve as the executive vice president of administration for the Student Government Association. I also have seen the opportunities out there that are available for stu dents. As your next student body presi dent, I will work to make those oppor tunities a REALITY. I would like to mention a few of those opportunities. First of all, the Aggie Bucks that we purchase every semester are deposited in a huge bank account owned by the University. The interest from that account should go to the students in the form of second and third year merit-based scholarships. That is just an example of how opportu nities can be made realities with the right individual as your student body president next year. Those wicked 24-hour reserved spaces also are things that I would like to target while serving you, the student body, next year. Many of those reserved spaces are unused, especially after 5 p.m. I have spoken to PTTS and they agree that those unused spaces should be made more accessible to the students. Another opportunity that I would like to make a reality is the establishment of franchise restaurants on Southside much like the Northside’s Underground. I want to add movie rental and used CD services in the basement of the MSC. I see the opportunity to expand dry cleaner pick ups on campus. There is presentiy one dry cleaner pick-up on the Quad. I would like to establish dry cleaner pick-ups on Northside in the Commons, and at the MSC as well. Texas A&M University is my star. It is our opportunity. I would appreciate the opportunity to serve you as your next student body president. Gig 'em! ► Chris Williams Student Body President Candidate Howdy! For those of you whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Chris Williams, and I am a proud member of the Class of ’97. I am a political science major from Canyon, Texas, and I am also a proud member of the Corps of Cadets and the nationally famous Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. I would like to take just a minute to share with you my ideas for Aggieland next year, and demonstrate how we as a team can work together to continue the great dreams of our university. It was once said that “limits were never meant to be barriers that keep you in. Only starting points that sug gest how much further you can go out.” There is a general feeling on this campus that we, as a university, have reached our limits. We have allowed ourselves to become bogged down with issues such as student fees, yell leader runoffs, and hazing policies that have divided us and caused us tq lose sight of what is most important - leading A&M to that world-class level that we know it can achieve. It is time to focus on the REAL things. The student body needs a stu dent body president who will not make lofty, idealistic promises that are impossible to keep. Past student body presidential candidates have promised such things as expanded parking, opposition to all fee increas es, less parking tickets, free beer at the Chicken (just kidding), and on and on ... with no REAL results once they got into office. If we are to make REAL strides in improving the University, we need to focus on the REAL things that we can actually change. For example, it’s about time that we had Aggie Buck services in athletic facilities such as Kyle Field concession stands, and in on-campus laundry machines and copy machines. Another REAL issue that we can focus on is class registration through the computer. Instead of sit ting up on the telephone until four or five a.m. the night of registration, try ing to get the classes we need, com puter registration will allow for much faster and easier registration. It is issues such as these that we as stu dents can actually work to achieve. As student body president, I will fulfill my obligation to the student body to focus on the issues at hand that are actually important to you as a stu dent. I would like to thank you for taking the time to listen to me for a couple of minutes, and I hope that you share the same feelings about our university. Gig 'em and God bless.