Platform:

While I have many new ideas and specific proposals, my priorities are what will truly represent the leadership, vision, and actions that I will embody as SGA president. The role of an SGA president is to represent students, and in three years of listening to the student body I have developed a set of priorities which I believe to be at the heart of the Smith community. The only campaign promise that I will make is to take each of these priorities into every conversation and decision. I am committed to self-education and a continual engagement with diverse communities to work to familiarize myself with new priorities that may emerge next year. These priorities were formulated through my work in representing students during the past 3 years, and my top priority is to reflect students’ goals and ideas for Smith. I am running for SGA President to further the priorities of the student body, not to advance a specific personal agenda. For me each one of these priorities and ideas are a step toward reaching the larger goal of strengthening the Smith community.

Diversity:

• Financial Aid-Many decisions have been made about recruitment practices, loan levels and the structure of the financial aid office in lieu of the recent budget cuts. I would like to see an inquiry into what communities at Smith are being the most deeply affected and what can be done to affect the steadily rising percentage of need consciousness and loan levels. The SGA can’t fix financial aid, but it can make efforts to raise key questions to administrators and make available a clearer picture of what is going on.
• House Diversity Boards- It is time to bring them back, only this time with more training, resources and support.
• Theme Housing- As of right now a committee is being formed to begin work next fall setting up theme housing for the fall of 2005. This process has been put in place with little regard to the racial and class tensions it has the possibility to exacerbate, and the process requires further examination. I am not saying that theme housing is a good or bad idea, but rather, I am saying that if we are going to take a big step in changing the structure of our housing system we should do so with attention to issues of diversity.
• Proactive Anti-Oppression Dialogue- In the past, often it required an egregious act or policy in order for campus-wide conversations around diversity to ensue. I think we need to be proactive in educating ourselves and one another, and most importantly have sustained and civil dialogue about issues that face members of different campus communities.
• Accessibility of the SGA- The SGA has historically been comprised of a specific population of Smith students. In my 3 years of service to the SGA I have become an ‘insider’ to the organization while becoming aware of the constraints and inaccessibility of the SGA for various groups on campus. The demanding nature and time requirements of the work often prevent students on work-study from holding SGA positions. I am committed to doing institutional restructuring and serious outreach to ensure a better representation of campus constituencies.
• Civil Discourse- At Smith it often seems like only one viewpoint can be the ‘right’ one. In an academic environment I believe that institutional support and personal civility are necessary to ensure a sustained dialogue about the issues meaningful to our communities. While as SGA President I would certainly not have the power to control campus climate (nor would I want to), but I could work to ensure responsible, neutrally-moderated forums and resources for organizations with diverging viewpoints.

Diversity

Transparency and Democratic Participation

Fun

Academics

Effectively Managing the SGA

• Elimination of Unnecessary Confidentiality- Particularly with the SGA, often there are complicated confidentiality laws that inhibit an open exchange of information and strategizing among the student body. Some examples include a secrecy around election results and organizational budgets. Also, although I could not directly transform the nature of administrative confidentiality policies, I would work to focus on the areas and committees where students could most directly benefit from an increased disclosure and input.
• Improved Student-Administration Communication- I would encourage the administration to utilize student expertise in decision-making processes. It has become apparent this year that many students feel isolated from information until new policies have been set in place. We need to ask students for input rather than demand their acquiescence to changes initiated by the administration. Input processes need to be meaningful and substantive.
• Investment Responsibility- Smith College holds a very large endowment invested in varied sources and funds, some of which do not reflect the interests and values of many Smith students. In collaboration with students on college-appointed committees or student organizations active around shareholder activism, I would like to make our investment records more publicly accessible to the Smith community as a part of a larger conversation about fiscal priorities at the college.
• “State of the College Address”- In conjunction with administrative and student leaders, I hope to provide a bi-semester ‘state of the college address’ to make information about potential changes and developments in college policy accessible to students.
• SGA Elections – In conjunction with the Elections and Appointments chair, I would work to explore new options and provide more resources toward fixing an unreliable elections system. Simultaneously I would focus on increasing voter participation.

Diversity

Transparency and Democratic Participation

Fun

Academics

Effectively Managing the SGA

Smith students work hard and therefore deserve to have some fun.

• 5-College Student Coordinating Board- As SGA president I would serve on this existing board, and would encourage a larger variety of activities and collaboration between student organizations. We need to have more 5-college parties, while also retaining a focus on diverse sources of entertainment and increasing accessibility and publicizing of social and community activities at the 5 colleges.
• Stress Relief- In previous years the SGA has provided different stress relief services for students. It’s time to bring these services back to our overstressed campus.
• Party Policy- We are currently in the process of a multi-year conversation around party policy at Smith. I will continue to fight for a more reasonable party policy that does not invoke the maternalistic overtones that inflect the current policy.
• Increased Resource Allocation- As a co-author of the new ORC guidelines, I hoped to create a system of budgeting that would allow a greater flow of resources into active organizations. Hopefully, much of this money will be used to enhance social life at Smith.

Diversity

Transparency and Democratic Participation

Fun

Academics

Effectively Managing the SGA

Academics:

Academics are a primary reason why we are here, and I recognize their tremendous impact and power in our student lives. The SGA retains a limited scope of influence over academic matters, but in specific arenas the SGA can have a positive impact on academic life at Smith. It is the job of the SGA president to work with the Curriculum Committee Chair to support programming such as ASPECTS and Faculty Teaching Awards, as well as to continue the efforts to gain influence in matters of the curriculum.

• Learning Outside the Classroom-As SGA President I would like to highlight education outside of traditional academic settings. Students passions, hobbies, and talents make Smith what it is, and these contributions need to be valued, celebrated, and rewarded.

Diversity

Transparency and Democratic Participation

Fun

Academics

Effectively Managing the SGA

Effectively Managing the SGA:

The SGA provides dozens of services to the student body, such as funding organizations, chartering shuttles to the airport and loaning graduation gowns. In my opinion it is very important that the current services we provide be efficiently maintained, and new services be implemented to further meet student needs. It is also important for the SGA President to be a strong, committed, and intentional leader so as to effectively chair the Cabinet and motivate the SGA as a whole.

• Leadership development- I think that it is important for the SGA President to be intentional about providing opportunities for training and growth in the area of leadership development for members of SGA and SGA Funded Organizations.
• Website- The SGA needs to invest major time and resources into launching an amazing website. There are so many services that could be provided more efficiently and information could be disseminated so much more quickly if the SGA were to have an updated website.
• Knowing the organization- So much about being SGA President is about new visions and inspired leadership, but another aspect of it is being able to put all of the separate branches of the organization together to function as a well oiled machine. I have worked in almost every branch of the SGA, and because of this I am confident my knowledge would allow me to focus a greater percentage of my time on addressing student concerns rather than becoming overwhelmed with the small details of the SGA.

Diversity

Transparency and Democratic Participation

Fun

Academics

Effectively Managing the SGA

If you have any questions contact Shawn.