Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Student Council elections begin Thursday for one-year positions as Co-President, Campus Life Representative, Secretary, Campus Relations Representative, Student Events Advisor, and Appointments Chair. Following are the candidates running for each position and the complete text of their platforms as submitted to the Gazette.

If elected Co-President, I hope to be able to encourage more students to participate in discussions about student life by offering myself as a committed advocate of their concerns and proposals. I believe that Swarthmore’s student body could benefit immensely from a renewed engagement with campus-wide initiatives, as evidenced by the tremendous energy with which Swarthmore students took up “get out the vote” efforts this November. In order to facilitate this engagement, Student Council needs a Co-President who cares about student proposals, will take them to the administration, and get things done.

Someone who knows the school inside and out, someone who knows how Student Council works, and someone who is in touch with the student body and not afraid to take a position of political activism inside and outside the Swat bubble once she or he has obtained an accurate and fair representation of student opinion.

Hopefully at least some of you already know who I am and that I’m a pretty approachable, friendly guy. You might have met me riding the Evening Shuttle or Airport Shuttle or requesting vans, from classes, from Wind or Jazz Ensemble, from reading the Daily Gazette, from Motherpuckers, from the Catholic Student Association, or maybe I’ve bumped into you at a party. Not only have these activities given me a chance to get familiar with so many students, they have granted me a deep understanding of the way the school functions. The same is true of my position on the Council on Educational Policy, where I am one of three student representatives who interact with administration and faculty on a weekly basis to determine the future academic directions of the school.

But you also want a representative who knows how to get things done on Student Council. This past semester I served as the Daily Gazette observer, and I have formed a strong rapport with the current members. I also know how the council works, and seeing as the secretary is responsible for ensuring the Council follows correct procedure, I feel I would be a good fit for the position. In high school I studied parliamentary procedure extensively, so I am well versed in how to run and participate in efficient yet productive meetings.

As secretary, you will become a better-informed student body, because Council minutes will be posted on the website within 24 hours of Student Council meetings. I also fully intend to increase dialogue between SC and the student body by initiating close touch with student opinions on important issues like the Living Wage, the College’s academic and developmental future, and making sure that SAC works efficiently and appropriately to ensure we all have fun parties to go to on the weekends. On tough issues, my outlook is this: the majority may rule, but the minority must be heard and its interests must be recognized, compromised on, and protected by the majority.

As the election approaches, feel free to come up to me whenever and introduce yourself. I think I can do a superb job, but I’ll be doing it as YOUR representative, and I promise never to forget that.

I have impeccable moral character, am from the south (and by south I mean Colorado), and I have incredible handwriting. This way, were there ever to be an electronic failure, power outage, or alien takeover, I could quickly and neatly write out 1400 copies of the minutes and neatly place them in every mailbox. I take lots of notes, so my right hand is in great shape and in 7th grade I attended a three day conference on note taking methods. Even with ITS, in todays world of terror we can not rely on technology. I am the solution.

1. I will work to increase the quality and availability of food on campus. We must be able to get food after 10:00, beyond vending machine munchy food.
2. I will suggest that the administration take steps to increase the availability of parking on campus. Larger parking facilities will allow us to increase our options beyond the bustling metropolis that is The Ville.
3. I will work to increase student access to residence halls on campus. Every student should have a key that allows them to go into any other dorm without crawling through windows at 2:00 a.m.

If elected Secretary, I will ensure that all students have a say in the decisions that affect our campus life.

I like Swat. It’s my home away from home (Go Singapore!). I know some of you don’t like it much. I can help you with that.

Vote Win.

I would be honored to be a voice that represents my peers. So just do it. Vote for Etan.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

1. Years ago Dave Mathews held a concert at Swarthmore. Since then we have not had any big-name artists, and I see a problem with this. Together with the Large Scale Events committee, I will work to bring big names to Swarthmore. Personally, I would like to have a Hillary Duff concert on campus, but it’s your opinion that counts.
2. Ever get hungry late at night? I have spent more money ordering pizzas late at night than on anything else while at Swat, and it’s just wrong. We need more late night point and meal options. We pay a ton for food, and damnit, we should get it. 3. On that same note, I have learned that a few years ago, the campus could have gotten a 24 hour convenience store, but other projects were pursued instead. That would have been amazing! I think it is time to raise that subject once again.
4. Swat is a great place to spend your time, but there is a whole world outside, which includes movie theatres, the Valley Forge Mall, museums, sporting events, Great Adventure (in my home town), and many other places to go. I believe we should start sending shuttles out into the world, bringing Swatties to these various locations.
5. My high tech plan for Swat will bring vast and unprecedented improvements to campus…I shall fight to reset the timers on all of the dorm dryers so that clothes will dry in one cycle!! Furthermore, I believe our meal cards should be programmed not only for meals and points, but also to open all of the dorm doors, and perhaps even to pay for washers, dryers, and concession machines.

If elected, I will immediately begin working with the Dean’s Advisory Committee, Student Council, and you to implement these ideas and many others. The key here is that your opinion can dictate change. In high school I served as an executive officer for my class and for Student council for four years. Looking back, I regret that Student Council was such a titular thing. Though we righted some wrongs, our job was mostly throwing dances and such. As campus life representative, I will have the power and the voice to represent your views; and this is truly exciting to me.

In conclusion, I am running a platform of accessibility and productivity. So, on Election Day, remember to vote for the candidate who will be available and ready to put out for you. Vote Alex Ginsberg. ( Please visit my website, alexginsberg.tripod.com)

I propose cataloging all of the community service and activism efforts of the students to provide us with easy access to knowledge of what others are accomplishing. Not only will this make it easier to reach out into the community, but it will also ensure that the volume and scope of our efforts achieve their maximum potency. Concretely, such cataloging will help existing groups by ensuring that our limited funding is used to its maximum efficiency (I love efficiency…and bubble gum).

I was outraged to find the Swarthmore Police harassing and arresting students at the ML Halloween Party for the second year in a row. This trend has to end immediately. Therefore, if elected I will create a student group with the full backing of the administration, whose sole purpose it will be to maintain official relations with the Swarthmore Police Department so students on college property will be left to their own devices as they should be.

Were I to be elected, I would open up an on-line discussion forum where students would be able to post their suggestions for campus activities. I would moderate the forum and occasionally summarize the relevant discussions of events that go on in the student council. I would in turn bring those discussions to the attention of other members of the student council. This way, one would not have to organize an event in order to drop a few suggestions for it and have the student council consider them. Then, everyone would be able to participate in planning campus events at will. Further, nobody would be left out. Consider as well, when else would you be able to engage in a meaningful discussion with someone else who goes here whom you haven’t really met?

I think that in our age of electronic media we can use the internet to try to unite us even more. We can use it to share information between all of us about upcoming campus events even before their dates and times are completely set in stone!

For more information, please visit www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/~rasa
If you have any questions or suggestions, please email me at rpetrau1.

Thanks for your interest,
Rasa Petrauskaite

-Final’s Week: I urge the availability of Sharples and Essie Mae’s for late night snacks during Final’s Week. The purpose is for open study area and light meals.
-Security: I propose the construction of a lighted path from the Septa station to the east side of campus (to New Dorm and Mertz vicinity).

I would appreciate your vote and remember: Kyle White Does It Right.

1. Online Calendar on the Swarthmore Portal: Every Thursday I routinely check my e-mail to find out the events scheduled for the weekend, but quite frankly, it’s inconvenient. Wouldn’t you like to know what’s going on ahead of time rather than at the last minute? Think about it, you can easily be a click away from an entire schedule of events. As events are scheduled, they’ll be posted. I mean, Swatties work hard, and damn it we need a light at the end of the tunnel. Thursday: Orgo exam. Friday: Celebrating the Bolshevik Revolution over vodka shots. You’ll never be more excited to study.

2. Party Balance: I’m sorry, but SAC does a poor job spreading parties out. We should have the option to party both Friday AND Saturday nights. I don’t understand how one night I need to choose between Olde Club or Paces, and then the next night I’m subjected to watching Dirty Dancing. We need options.

Now, I realize that every candidate always says the same thing: I’ll be accessible. Your ideas matter. Okay, I’m no different. But who else will sit in the big chair, in January, to listen to you? Some may say it’s too cold, some it’s crazy. I just say I’m from Maine.

I am the best candidate because:

I HAVE EXPERIENCE:
-on SAC for both of the last two semesters
-current SAC secretary
-active in the reevaluation of SAC by-laws including incorporating funding for political events
I HAVE GOALS:
-a quick, comprehensive, and positive conclusion to the SAC bylaws reevaluation
-work with Public Safety so students receive prompt and adequate responses to issues of personal safety
-increase awareness of Student Council by recreating the SC bulletin board
-encourage dialogue between the student body and council by hosting discussion forums at convenient times I AM QUALIFIED:
-a campus leader as demonstrated by leadership positions in multiple campus groups
-worked with the administration as a member of the Parrish Building Renovations, Dining Services, and Professor Search Committees
-organized and reliable as seen by perfect attendance at SAC meetings
-approachable and willing to talk with anyone about campus issues

I am aware of the time and energy commitments associated with this position and pledge to represent you for the full term. Please vote EMILY NOLTE for Student Events Advisor.

Swarthmore College students are surrounded by opportunities in the academic realm. As these offerings are beneficial components of an education at a small liberal arts college, student-run events provide a form of interaction in a social setting that is just as important in college life. My goal, if elected as Student Events Advisor, will be to unite student events with the hope of bringing about a more unified campus. Rather than always having a themed event available, as if to constantly accommodate separate groups, having consolidated events that the entire campus can become involved in and get excited over will bring students together and create a more vibrant social atmosphere. Some campuses rally around a football team, some around a music program, some around their reputation – Swarthmore is unique in that students get excited over each other’s abilities, talents, backgrounds etc. Student events should be forums to extend this interest.

I want to bring a sense of campus identity and community to Swarthmore and will work at this through coordinating campus affairs as Events Advisor on the Student Council.

I will also be a dedicated, vocal member of Student Council. I’m willing to listen and learn from others, but I’m also prepared to speak my mind. More importantly, though, I’m prepared to act. I want to leave Swarthmore a brighter, happier, more enjoyable place than when I found it. I want to put enthusiastic, dynamic people in places where they can succeed. That’s why I want to be on Student Council. That’s why Alex Leader-Smith: Swarthmore College Appointments Chair rings so nicely.”

My hope is that by holding appointees more accountable to their proposed agendas more students will recognize that they are affected by the decisions made by Student Council and the appointees. More students will apply for appointments and get involved in voting, and hopefully a more active, socially responsible attitude will be woven into the fabric of this community. I hope that the hard work, energy, and commitment that students gave to the November Election can be a consistent feature of our student government.

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*On Tuesday, President Bush nominated Condoleeza Rice to replace Colin Powell as Secretary of State. Powell’s second-in-command, Richard Armitage, also announced that he will resign. Powell’s departure validates the so-called neo-conservatives’ voice in this administration; they long resented Powell’s tentative approach to the Iraq war and general preference for diplomacy over blunt action. Rice, the current National Security Advisor, is seen as much closer to the president and the neo-conservatives in ideology. Bush said that she would bring “wise and skillful leadership” to the office. Many have questioned the tact and wisdom of Rice’s actions over the past four years, but she will probably be confirmed without major incident.

*American soldiers have begun to invade the northern Iraq city of Mosul to defeat local insurgents who have decimated the Iraqi police force. American forces have sealed off bridges leading into the city and imposed a curfew on residents. Mosul is the third largest city in Iraq. Insurgents there have bombed police stations, launched suicide attacks against American convoys and severely damaged petroleum lines. Though insurgents have lost their former base, Falluja, they are not giving up. “They’re clearly fighting until the last man,” Lt. Col. Gareth Brandl, a Marine commander, said.

*At 2:36 Tuesday, NASA broke the aircraft speed record by a large margin, flying an unmanned X-43A jet at almost 6,600 miles per hour off the coast of California. The flight lasted only 10 seconds, and the plane then was piloted into the ocean, but equipment shows that the jet briefly reached Mach 9.6, or 9.6 times the speed of sound. The plane was piloted by an experimental “scramjet,” which works by mixing compressed oxygen with hydrogen fuel, creating an enormous force when the two burn. The resulting exhaust is water. A previous scramjet flight by Australia reached almost 5,000 miles per hour.

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Psychology Colloquium: “Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development: A Sampler in ‘Big Science'”
Science Center 101, 4:15 p.m.

Sandpainting Demonstration
Intercultural Center Big Room, 4:15 p.m.

Sankar Muthu lectures: “What’s Wrong with Imperialism?”
Trotter 301, 4:30 p.m.

Indian film screening: “Satya (The Other Side of Truth)”
LPAC Cinema, 7:00 p.m.

Stories and Songs from “Miracle Hill”
Scheuer Room, 7:30 p.m.

Tai Chi class
Upper Tarble, 8:00 p.m.

Film Society movie screening
Science Center 101, 9:00 p.m.

VOX (Swarthmore Voices for Choice) meeting
Kohlberg 302, 9:15 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

This past weekend brought the Warmothers to their last tournament of the season at University of Delaware in Newark. The first round on Saturday was against UPenn Venus. Despite an impressive bid by Eliana Bonifacino ’07, the Warmothers were unable to break through Venus’ solid zone defense in the wind (7-1). Second round brought on half of UDel’s massive team, Sideshow. The Warmoms showcased their excellent defense, but were unable to convert on offense and fell 8-3, a score that does not reflect the high level of play in this game. Ashley Werner ’08 laid out on a defensive block without regard for a large pool of water on the field, earning notariety, respect, and the tournament-wide nickname Puddle Girl. The third round against Brandeis was another zone-zone point, with Brandeis decisively taking the game 8-2. The fourth round as the sun was setting was against Towson. They took the first point quickly, but momentum turned around on the second with a scrappy layout catch in the endzone by Casey Reed ’05. Towson managed to squeeze in two more points, but Swarthmore prevailed 6-3. The last two points of the game were extremely long – the last alternated Towson getting shut down at least six times by Elsita Kiekebusch ’07 and others in the endzone, and formidable Warmothers offense moving the disc back downfield. It finally ended with a huck from Sasha Laundy ’06 to Jenny Barry ’07 in the endzone. The Warmothers offense was also helped in a large part by Laundy’s many long
throws to Jenny through Towson’s zone defense.

Sunday started with a short game against Johns Hopkins. Off to a slow start, Swarthmore was down 7-1 at the half. Despite a massive second half surge, Emily Schneider’s beastly deep-deep defense, and a beautiful hammer from Laundy to Bonifacino, the Warmothers simply didn’t have time to catch up (10-5). Round two brought Salisbury and a man/zone hybrid defense that Swarthmore had not seen before, allowing Salisbury to take the half 7-1. With some adjustments to their offense, the Warmothers forced Salisbury to give up zone and switch back to straight man defense. Each successive point took longer and longer, with Salisbury’s fast breaks countered by Ashley Werner ’08 ‘s in cuts, hammer breaks by Schneider and Laundy, and a beautiful layout D in the cup by Jillian Astarita ’07. However, the Warmothers’ comeback was not enough, and they fell short 10-5.

The Warmothers will be back in March with the addition of 10 upperclassmen players. Thanks for a great season!

Results provided by Sasha Laundy and Jillian Astarita

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today.

Tomorrow
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Man only likes to count his troubles, but he does not count his joys.”
— Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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