Over the past year, the Student Assembly has faced overwhelming criticism for scandals and for the organization’s apparent inability to accomplish anything successfully. Frustrations over the organization surfaced at Sunday night’s debate as candidates cited the need for change and reform to make the SA a more cohesive body. The platform presented by Noah Kim ’13 and Sky Sprayberry ’15 creates a possibility not only to effectively reform the SA but to create an efficiently functioning assembly for the next year.
Kim has already shown a huge amount of commitment in his drive to improve the SA. His personal dedication to the organization is clear from his record of introducing 40 percent of the SA bills during the last year. As SA chairman this year, Kim was prepared to criticize members of the SA who did not take their positions seriously and were not proving constructive to the organization. While his comments may have garnered some backlash, he showed that he was a leader who expected all members of the SA to take their positions seriously, and he continues to show that he has the drive needed to make the organization into all that it must be. These actions exemplify Kim as a leader who is capable of taking charge even in problematic times.
Kim’s background as a chairperson of the SA Financial Committee should reflect a thorough knowledge of what must be done in order to resolve the problem of misallocation of funding. Kim has already worked to improve this problem through the Spending Transparency Act, which strives to make the SA more accountable to the student body. As SA president, Kim would have the authority to continue his actions toward resolving these problems by bringing the issue to the forefront as an organization-wide issue and increasing individual communication.
In addition to these sweeping reforms, Kim’s platform boasts new programs and policies that will immediately serve students on campus. One of the most appealing program changes that Sprayberry and Kim wish to introduce concerns mental health counseling. These changes would create a hotline for students who need immediate help, as well as a peer counseling program.
The blend of grassroots work and top-down changes to programming make Kim the strongest choice for SA president. Kim has the experience not only to know how the SA works, but also to understand problems in the organization that need to be addressed. Furthermore, Kim appears to care deeply about the issues facing the SA. His past dedication shows that he is willing to fight the battles necessary to create a more functional organization. These tools will enable him to hit the ground running so that the SA can better serve the needs of the student body faster.
We believe that Kim will not only be able to lead a stronger SA next year, but that he will also leave a lasting legacy of an SA that is useful and capable of meeting the student body’s needs.
Editor’s Note: Elizabeth DeBusk recused herself from the meeting due to a conflict of interest.