Candidate commentary: Tristan Paul
[feather_share show="twitter, google_plus, facebook, reddit, tumblr" hide="pinterest, linkedin, mail"]
As you may have noticed over the past few days, puzzle pieces have been popping up around campus. Every student – or piece of the puzzle – matters, and is vital to its completion. If you are missing even a single piece, the puzzle is incomplete. As an MSU Presidential candidate, the collective student voice is what motivates me to change your MSU into your MSYou.
My campaign is based on this principle, and is built upon three pillars: Your Campus, Your Classroom, and Your MSU.
The first pillar I want to address is Your Campus. My first objective is directed at getting better food on campus, through the implementation of a grocery store, debit and credit payment options, and what I like to call “Food Truck Fridays.” I also want to create an MSU Cinema service to provide all-age programming at affordable costs. Finally, I want to improve clubs training and support by offering a Clubs Opportunities Portal, to connect interested students to MSU clubs.
The second pillar of my platform is Your Classroom. The first step of this involves the implementation of mid-term course evaluations, giving students the ability to influence how courses are taught. I also want to enforce the current policy which mandates that course evaluation results be accessible online, to serve as course reviews that provide future students with more information before they register. Furthermore, I want to institute “Course Intentions” to provide more student-driven feedback into course registration. By selecting the courses you intend to take, the university can better accommodate students for the upcoming academic year.
My third and final pillar – Your MSU – is the pillar that most motivated me to run for MSU President. The MSU has made significant progress in empowering students to get involved, and I want to build off this momentum to create a more student-directed MSU. I want to have an MSU Town Hall meeting in first term, and hold regular Online Chats and MUSC Office Hours to better connect with students. Finally, I want to create an MSU Drawing Board – a platform where student ideas can be voted on by other students, ultimately leading to a response from the MSU.
“If you’re talking, you aren’t listening.” The wisdom of my five year-old sister resonates within the MSU: without listening to all our members, our collective voice cannot be heard. I hope I have created a platform that not only implements student ideas, but also helps to better engage them at Mac. When you’re solving a puzzle, every piece matters.
[feather_share show="twitter, google_plus, facebook, reddit, tumblr" hide="pinterest, linkedin, mail"]