Arthur Kim '08Arthur Kim '08 said he will focus on improving immediate problems if elected. "The University is already taking care of long-term problems through the Boldly Brown campaign," he said. Kim said he is "much more a part of the Brown community" than many UCS members.
Kim said he will advocate for the elimination of the off-campus housing fee in order to alleviate the on-campus housing shortage and try to increase student awareness of available off-campus housing. Increasing the council's communication with student groups, supporting groups as they search for funds and replacing the current category system with one that is more suited to the diversity of such groups are other priorities, he said. Kim also hopes to improve the advising system.
Kim's experience with the Brown Orchestra and the Coalition of Bands at Brown has showed him the magnitude of short-term problems on campus that should be solved, he said. "I'm looking at issues that are much more immediate," Kim added.
John Gillis '07John Gillis '07 pledges to bridge the gap between students and the Undergraduate Council of Students if elected UCS president.
"We need to take a step towards students for better communication," he said. Though other candidates may also campaign on platforms of change, "the changes I want to make are ones generated by the students," Gillis said.
As UCS class representative his sophomore year, Gillis collaborated with Brown Dining Services to eliminate meal blocks in dining halls and worked with the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services to bring the Napster music service to campus. He has also advocated for anonymous STD testing on campus and helped coordinate Wellness Week last year.
If elected, Gillis said he will pressure the University to develop a source of renewable energy, lobby for universal card access for Brown ID holders and work to provide students with short-term community service opportunities in addition to the full-year programs already offered by the Swearer Center for Public Service.
But Gillis said he will campaign for any agenda students set if he is elected.
"Think of me as the voice of the student for the administration," he said.
Zachary Townsend '08UCS Vice President Zachary Townsend '08 said if elected, he will continue confronting the administration on critical issues such as advising, housing and professors' commitment to teaching. "People feel like there's nothing you can do about these issues," he said.
"If you're intellectual about it, you can really persuade people," he added.
Townsend has advocated against the addition of pluses and minuses to the grading system. As communications chair in Spring 2005, Townsend created UCS's first WebCT poll, which strengthened the council's knowledge of students' concerns, he said. Last summer, as chair of the Admissions and Student Services Committe, he worked to launch Internet Protocol Television, which began providing students with cable television on the Internet in the fall, and he has pressured the University this year to provide students with campus-wide wireless service.
Townsend said the strong relationships he has built with administrators during his time at UCS set him apart from other candidates. "It's important to have good relationships with people who matter the most," he said.
Tristan Freeman '07Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee Chair Tristan Freeman '07 said he would "fight to keep Brown the place it was when we applied" if elected vice president. In order to advocate in the interest of students, UCS must become "less secretive and less bureaucratic," he said.
"It's in every undergraduate's best interests to let them know how they can effect change within UCS," Freeman said. The University may support graduate programs at the expense of undergraduates if students are not proactive, he said.
In his current position, Freeman has worked against the addition of pluses and minuses. Freeman also served as communications chair.
Freeman said he will continue to reach out to students through WebCT polls and dorm rounds. "It's really important that undergraduates come together and let Brown be Brown," he said.
Josh Teitelbaum '08Queer Alliance Co-President Josh Teitelbaum '08 said his priority if elected vice president will be to reform UCS so that "real, live Brown students" are able to voice their concerns and solve problems in conjunction with UCS. Student group leaders should "lead each meeting instead of having UCS set the agenda," Teitelbaum said, adding that his outsider status gives him "a distinct advantage" over candidates with prior UCS experience.
Teitelbaum said he has "learned how to bring a lot of diverse perspectives together" as co-president of Queer Alliance and as chair of a community service organization at the Swearer Center for Public Service. "I have leadership experience from a very different perspective," he said. "I know what it's like to be on the other side."
Cash McCracken '08Every year the candidate for chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board promises to make the board more open and accountable, said unopposed candidate Cash McCracken '08. But UFB will make these improvements "for real this time," said McCracken, who is currently UCS and UFB representative. McCracken plans to create a group of students unaffiliated with UFB who will serve as a watchdog for the board. Posting minutes of UFB meetings will make the board even more accountable next year, McCracken said. He also hopes to bring representatives to the board from student groups other than UCS and the Student Union.
McCracken has served as UFB representative for two years and also served on UCS as Student Activities Chair last year.
