Issues

While the USG President will have to address a broad array of issues, I will share my thoughts regarding a few that I believe are important to the student body and where the USG can produce real results:

• Alcohol Policy and Rights, Rules and Responsibilities.
o The USG has an obligation to brainstorm how to promote sensible drinking and to open up the communication pathways between the University and the student body regarding the drinking life at Princeton in an effort to serve both sides fairly. This will take the form of pushing for over-age party registration which will hopefully evolve into mixed-age party registration.
o Similarly, the Public Safety patrols must be evaluated for their effectiveness and fairness to Undergraduate life. The transparency of Rights, Rules and Responsibilities also needs to be evaluated to ensure that students are fully aware of University policies regarding drinking, interactions with Public Safety, and various infractions that one is able to incur.
o In addition, the USG, Administration, and the Borough police need to be discussing the amnesty policy promised to Princeton students when calling Public Safety to come to the aid of a friend who has drunk too much. Currently, the conflicting policies could have dangerous consequences.

• P/D/F Policy
o The P/D/F policy is one that affects nearly every student at Princeton; therefore, it is important that the USG attempt to gauge the student body’s opinions of these policies. So far, Ben Lund and the academic committee have done an excellent job speaking with administrators such as Dean Malkiel, attempting to reach a compromise concerning the deadlines for submissions and the dates one is able to rescind their P/D/F. This dialogue needs to continue while integrating student opinions and concerns in hopes of arriving at a policy which all parties believe is fair and logical.

• Housing
o There must be better communication between the housing office and the student body. The recent housing survey is a step in the right direction, but there needs to be more of an effort to clarify current processes and communicate to students questions about the transition from underclass to upperclass housing as well as the different options regarding meal plans and the residential colleges.

• McCosh Health Center
o McCosh is an integral part of many Princeton students’ experiences. The USG needs to continually evaluate the services offered and gauge student satisfaction while also offering practical advice on improving these services.
o Over the last year, I have been working on a proposal which I have entitled “A.I.R.” or “Anonymous Interactive Internet Resource.” This Internet-based service will allow Princeton University students who are seeking psychological care to anonymously establish a first connection with McCosh personnel in hopes of easing the anxiety that often accompanies the process. Similarly, such a service would give UHS (University Health Services) staff an opportunity to encourage students to come in and speak with a professional through a mode of communication which is comfortable and familiar to nearly everyone in our generation.

• Sustainability
o Everything that we do at Princeton is related to Sustainability in some way. Whether we are eating, reading under a lamp, or taking a shower, we are all affecting the carbon footprint of this University. The USG can help the sustainability department by helping to sculpt the cultural norms of Princeton students to be more conducive to a sustainable campus while educating the general student body of the benefits and strategies of the sustainability movement.
o Similarly, the USG can be there to help the efforts of groups such as Greening Princeton and SURGE in an effort to form a broad coalition for the sustainable movement.
o In addition, the USG has the ability to lead sustainable initiatives of its own, such as the first University LED Exchange in the country, which I am currently planning. This exchange would distribute Light Emitting Diodes, the most energy efficient light sources to date, to students free of charge.
o Other specific examples of ways that the USG can improve sustainability is by working with Dining Services and brainstorming how the University can be more helpful to students to make ecologically sound choices, having the USG partner with the Princeton Environmental Network, and encouraging digital documents within the faculty to reduce paper consumption.

• Civic Engagement
o The USG needs to continue to ensure that civic engagement is made a priority, beyond just co-opting the SVC’s or PACE Center’s projects. We need to ensure that those who wish to be civically engaged at Princeton have all the options and opportunities available to them. I believe that the USG’s role in this process is about helping students to be aware of the resources that are already available. As I have said before, it is about focus and attention, not replication.

• Undergraduate Life
o As President, I am expected to represent 5000 of the smartest, most ambitious students in the country. The challenge here is to do this beyond email contact and surveys. I will take it upon myself to communicate with different student groups and leaders and give them the tools and forum necessary to talk with the administration directly in a united effort.
o I will strive to reach across the campus and gather the most diverse group of students and put them into discussions that are as conducive as possible to generating focused, effective discourse. It is not just about me telling the administration what the student body needs- it is also about me giving you the opportunity to tell them yourself.
o More specifically, the release of the COMBO survey has uncovered deep-seeded issues that are as sensitive as they are complex. The USG needs to follow up on the survey results (especially in regards to recent financial aid improvements) and attempt to ascertain the current undergraduate sentiment regarding these issues.
o In addition, the USG must focus on improving modes of disseminating information among student groups as well as between the administration and the student body as a whole. This may take the form of creating a more central student groups database and continuing the renovations and improvements of Point as it appears to be the single best and most central source of communication.