UNION ELECTION ‘11: Get to know The Rhettvolution slate

In light of Student Union elections next week, The Daily Free Press is publishing stories about each of the three slates running for the 2011-12 school year. Today’s story features members from The Rhettvolution slate.

Student activisim, the display of student art and increased intellectual discourse are among the many goals of The Rhettvolution, one of three slates campaigning to be Boston University’s Student Union next year.

In an interview with The Daily Free Press, the slate candidates said their campaign is also advocating institutional changes such as starting a 24-hour study lounge, a more consistent BU Shuttle schedule and gender-neutral housing.

The candidates are focusing first on addressing feasible changes, said Demarius “DJ” Walker, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, who is running for Union president.

“We separate the things that we will be asking the administration to do but we can’t do ourselves from things we can do by ourselves,” he said in an interview. “Now our platform is going to be about actual things that we can start working on from day one, not needing administration approval.”

The Rhettvolution has received endorsements from groups such as the Turkish Student Associations, Democracy Matters and Sigma Beta Rho, Walker said.

“The Rhettvolution at this point is about understanding that the BU Community is very disconnected, and at the same time [understanding] that the Student Union could be a mechanism, which connects students,” Walker said. “We have very specific ideas on how to go about this.”

Walker said he hopes increasing communication among students will increase student and faculty respect for Union.

The Rhettvolution is about making changes and providing students with opportunities, said Gabe Rivas, a School of Management junior running for Union treasurer.

“The current Student Union had definitely been working on having more interaction with the administration, and we’re hoping to build on that,” she said. “The Student Union as an organization is now legitimate, so what we’re going to do is utilize this to create better student connections.”

One sign of a stronger connection, Walter said, should be increased intellectual discourse among students.

“We want to create more of an active conversation between different colleges at BU. We propose having a Student Union column in the [Daily Free Press], and different BU network shows. It’s a way to engage all of these different elements,” he said.

Rivas added that The Rhettvolution aims to make use of BU’s resources, such as the student life portal YouDo and Union’s textbook exchange service, TextSwap.

The Rhettvolution team members are promoting respect within the student body, which they say will put them in a better position to advocate for students’ interests.

“We want to connect different student networks, and make sure they have support by making those connections,” said Maria Sinatra, an SMG sophomore running for secretary. “Then we’ll be able to better advocate for, for example, a 24-hour library and socially responsible investment. With better student connections, we’ll be in a better condition to get what students want.”