Candidates for Undergraduate Council of Students and Undergraduate Finance Board leadership positions echoed one another as they called for increased communication, pointed to their experience and accomplishments and answered questions from the crowd at a debate in a largely empty MacMillan 117 last night.
Ben Farber '12, UCS vice president and presidential candidate, underscored his accomplishments on "little things" during his three years on the council, including implementing continental breakfast at the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall and initiating extended weekend hours at the Gate, which are scheduled to go into effect tomorrow. If elected, he said he plans to introduce a printing cluster to Pembroke campus and focus on career advising, the student group categorization process and intramural sports.
He promised to continue increasing communication between the council and the community by increasing the frequency of office hours and potentially introducing Google Chat hours, a tool currently used by the Library and the Career Development Center to reach out to students.
Farber said he has developed a "strong understanding of the infrastructure of Brown" and will use his relationships with various administrators to push his agenda forward. Foreseeing on-campus housing renovations and construction as major issues the University will face in the next three years, Farber said he plans to ensure "the student voice is heard."
Ralanda Nelson '12, UCS student activities chair, also assured students she would work to bring "tangible changes" to the Brown undergraduate experience if elected UCS president. She said she plans to make the student activities endowment the priority of her presidency and work with President Ruth Simmons and alums to attract more donors to the fund.
She said the council could use "student group capital a bit more efficiently" by inviting student groups to meetings with administrators.
Nelson also said if the University's ranking was higher, it would better reflect the value of a Brown education. She plans to work with the Corporation to see that its interests are in line with those of students.
As Farber did, Nelson said she hopes to increase communication between students and the administration and expand the council's presence among students.
Toward the end of the debate, Nelson asked Farber whether or not he will remain on the council if he is not elected president. Responding that his decision would be swayed by his emotions, Farber said he is unsure. Farber asked Nelson the same question, and she said she would remain on the council as a general body member if not elected because she could work on "unique projects" for the council.
Jason Lee '12, UFB vice chair, said he plans to work to increase the transparency of the board's budgetary decisions if elected chair. Students often do not know that the board does not have the funds to approve all budget requests, he said.
Lee recommended archiving student group budgets so board members and student groups can access UFB funding history. He also suggested seeking alternative funding for groups that need large amounts of money to finance travel costs, such as Brown University Mock Trial. The board needs to utilize relationships with alums and administrators to find donors for high-cost student groups, he said.
Lee said he hopes the student activities endowment will eventually allow the board to fund Category I groups, which currently receive no money.
David Chanin '12, a UFB representative and Lee's opponent for UFB chair, said he plans to continue working on an online budgeting process and increase cooperation among the board, UCS and the administration.
If large student groups can seek funding from their substantial alumni networks, UFB would then be able to use more of its budget to support smaller groups with fewer resources, he said.
Chanin called for coordinated efforts on the parts of UCS, UFB, student groups and the administration to bring the student activities endowment to its ultimate goal of $17 million, allowing UFB to fund all University-recognized groups.
David Rattner '13, UCS campus life chair, who is running unopposed for vice president of the council, and Michael Perchonok '12, UFB representative, the sole candidate for UFB vice chair, also spoke at the debate.
