The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/19/09 Section: Opinions

KATIE BARLOW

The New Deal sees Student Government Association in an identity crisis. We have always been an advocacy and outreach organization with some co-sponsorship and programming. The New Deal sees those things as inherent to the continued success of the organization, but we want to go above and beyond what we think should be ground zero.

We want to empower the student body with a Student Government that puts their money back in their hands.

To sum up The New Deal in three words: Opportunity, Stewardship and Redefinition.

We are giving students the Opportunity through Stewardship of the Student Activity Fee to completely redefine how SGA works with and is held accountable to the entire student body. Allowing student allocation of this fee automatically requires SGA to be held directly accountable to what students want and how they want it done.

This also provides for a higher quality of leadership.

We are not running on a platform. We are presenting the students with a Contract - a signed obligation - of five primary areas: stewardship of Student Activity Fees, academics, student safety, access to services students pay for and judicial policy reform.

Everything in our contract is feasible.

We have met with numerous administrators and student groups to research how possible each of our contract points are. Alongside our contract, we have position statements, which cover other issues that we are passionate about improving.

Why does all of this matter when SGA makes promises every year? It matters because the student body gets the opportunity to decide every step along the way.

At the end of our term in office, we will propose a referendum to the student body, a vote to pick one of two options.

1. SGA should be redefined as a governing body that allocates the Student Activity Fee, while continuing the inherent mission of advocacy.

2. SGA should rename itself as a Student Association that continues to function as a lobbying firm.

This vote will serve as our accountability mechanism that makes us uniquely and immediately responsible for every contract point we present before the student body.

It is up to the students to lead the way in the resolution of SGA's identity crisis. It is up to the students of the University to decide the path down which its student government will travel.

Thus, it is in this spirit of accountability and openness that we, The New Deal, respectfully challenge the Remix Party to a more publicized and open debate in Tate Plaza on Friday at 11 a.m. The debate will be moderated by the Young Democrats and the College Republicans.

We want everything out in the open for the students. We want to discuss issues. We want to hear your questions. We want to listen to your complaints.

The New Deal requests an acceptance or denial of this challenge by the Remix Party no later than 7 tonight. We look forward to a compelling and fruitful discussion.

If you have any further questions about The New Deal, please visit www.uganewdeal.com.

- Katie Barlow is the presidential candidate for The New Deal party.

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