Avoiding internal problems plagued by previous student governments, organizing an on-campus “block party” and creating a customizable Boston University student homepage are the plans of New Blood, one of three slates fighting for control of the Student Union Executive Board.
Presidential candidate Jason Nadler, who ran on the third-place Beyond slate last year, said the potential of the Union hasn’t been reached in the past, but New Blood would change that.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to see issues overtake ideas and concrete plans and actions,” Nadler said. “This year’s Executive Board has done little, if any, to change the way Boston University and BU students run their day-to-day lives. This is disappointing because the Student Union has the potential to do that.”
Nadler said part of the problem was the “friends of friends” appointments made this year. He said the two vacant positions on New Blood — vice president of multicultural affairs and vice president of safety services — will not be filled with friends. Finding the most experienced and qualified students, such as those currently on the Union, would be more beneficial to the students, he said.
David Fahey, candidate for vice president of residence life, said planning campus events appealing to students is atop the slate’s plans. A South Campus block party would be held on streets mostly inhabited by BU students, such as Buswell Street. The party would include street performers and vendors, Fahey said.
Organizing on-campus concerts similar to the Bob Dylan concert earlier this year would be the ideal student event, the slate said, though according to Executive Vice President candidate Keshav Lall, Union tactics to get such an event must change.
“Student governments in the past have asked the administration for many things,” Lall said. “One of the mistakes they have done is they have failed to put themselves in the administration’s shoes. There has to be something … to encourage the administration to do it.”
The concerts, they said, would be funded through corporate sponsorship and thus generate revenue for the University.
Working with the Office of Information Technology to create a BU-linked student homepage is another plan to unify the community, members said. The student homepage would include links to important BU sites, as well as sale item postings, Fahey said.
“It would be a form of community,” Fahey said. “The Internet is pretty big and in a school like this, spaced out. You need something to bring it together, and we think the Internet would be a very good medium.”
Vice President of Academic Affairs candidate Adam Hyatt said informing students of the grade quota policy and the teaching fellow hiring process would create a stronger relationship between the students and the administration.
Slate members will also continue projects enacted by this year’s E-board, such as the push for cable television on campus.
Contacting cable companies to negotiate cable access prices and deals, along with gaining alumni support, is among the tasks needed to implement cable television on campus.
Slate members also said they want to implement a Union-run distinguished lectures series with lawyers, athletes and others with famous backgrounds.
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