Rory Yendt: The Financier

Rory Yendt is looking to “engineer a better student union.” The question is, how much does he know about the current student union?

RELATED: Selected questions and answers from our interview with Rory

Yendt, a second-year student and a SRA member, is campaigning with the primary aim of making the MSU a more financially transparent body. He wants every ancillary fee to go to referenda at least once every four-year period so that students can see where they’re money is going.

Referencing the recent financial mismanagement of MAPS, Yendt stated, “I believe students now more than ever want to know what’s going on with their money.”

Another finance-based platform point – creating an MSU scholarship – seeks to use the MSU surplus to help students who demonstrate financial need pay for their studies.

He especially distinguishes himself from the archetypical politician by stating his intention to avoid pandering and structuring his platform purely on buzz topics.

“I believe [running for MSU president] comes down to taking it a bit more seriously and basing it a lot more on what you plan on doing rather than just trying to convince voters,” he said.

However, Yendt’s campaign often reflects a lack of thoroughness and student consultation. The proposal for a 24-hr student space in Thode certainly addresses the widespread concern over campus capacity. But other platform points have either already been addressed (in the case of the MSU making its financial documents accessible on its website) or ignore the extent of the President’s role in addressing academic, administrative and community issues.

In his deciding to run only two weeks ago, Yendt sold himself short and limited his ability to compete with other experienced or well-researched candidates. Given how the MSU Presidentials are typically dominated by upper-year students with extensive political experience, in this election Yendt seems out of his depth.