February 25, 2004

SGA executive candidates present platforms

Tara Dixon
Senior News Writer

Elections for the 2004-05 Student Government Association Executive Officers are taking place this week, with three tickets in the race.

Junior Pavan Parikh is running for SGA President with sophomores Joe Ring for Legislative Vice-President and Sophomore Katie Cutre for Administrative Vice-President.

Another presidential candidate is junior J.J. Gibson, with junior Mercedez Joyce for Legislative Vice-President and sophomore William Buckley for Administrative Vice-President.

The final ticket is comprised of junior Andy Gibson for President, sophomore Constance Fowler for Legislative Vice-President and sophomore Joe Van Deman for Administrative Vice-President.

All tickets believe they can do their jobs well, but Parikh, Ring and Cutre believe they know what students desire.

“We have a vision of what we want the University to be,” Parikh said.

“With our vision, we think we really do represent the wide variety of the population of this school. We represent diversity, not only racially, but of thought. We’re so different from the other tickets.”

Parikh, Ring and Cutre pride themselves on their personable attitudes and willingness to listen to students’ concerns.

“I think a key characteristic you want in a representative is to be approachable. We know a lot of people but we focus on the concerns of others. More than anything, we’re very approachable, friendly, and good at expressing ourselves” Ring said.

Their platform is “No Hype, Just Issues.”

These issues are themes to improve the body, mind and soul of Xavier.

The body, or physical improvements, are such things as laundry service in residence halls.

They propose to return coin capability to machines, or install All-Card machines in each hall so students aren’t short on money in the middle of the laundry process.

“It’s a concern most students can identify with,” Ring said.

Parikh, Ring and Cutre are also proposing reserved parking for students.

“We want to have reserved parking for sophomores and up in R1,” Ring said.

Another proposal is outdoor recreational facilities.

“We’re a basketball school and we don’t have outdoor basketball courts. How ridiculous is that? It may seem like a little thing, but these little things put together mean a lot. But these are short-term goals. We do have long-term goals as well,” Parikh said. “We want to take Xavier and make it a school that people don’t hear about and immediately think of the basketball team.”

J.J. Gibson, Joyce and Buckley believe their SGA experience plays an important role in what they can bring to the organization.

“We know the system and the organization of the SGA and we have key knowledge of pivotal positions. We have a combined seven years of experience in the SGA, more than any other ticket,” said J.J. Gibson, who is the 2003-04 Legislative Vice-President.

“Spending time in key positions has allowed us to develop relationships with students and administration.

“I think having someone who is already an executive and has seen what Natasha Hamilton has done is a great asset. She has been one of the best SGA presidents Xavier has had,” J.J. Gibson said.

J.J. Gibson, Joyce and Buckley’s platform addresses many issues important to students.

“We want to have a ticket position that is student-oriented,” Buckley said.

Among the issues they are proposing are Dead Days, which would allow a four-day weekend before finals for students to study and rest. Another important issue is having student representation on the academic affairs committee of the Board of Trustees. They also are proposing improvements at the crossing of Dana and Herald Avenues.

“We’ve been in contact with some traffic engineers about this issue,” J.J. Gibson said.

J.J. Gibson, Joyce and Buckley are also looking into bringing more events to campus by contacting local businesses interested in sponsoring speakers and events.

Initiating a book swap is another important issue.

“The only way to have a long lasting option is to go through the University,” J.J. Gibson said. “With a little extra time, you get a better product.”

Improving diversity on campus is another matter important to them.

“I think this year’s executives really pushed the organization in the right direction as far as producing the goals of their platform, promoting diversity, and being an active board and representative of Xavier. We feel if we are elected we will be the ticket best fit to continue that,” Buckley said.

“This race isn’t about a ticket. It’s about the organization, about the student body, and about Xavier,” J.J. Gibson said.

Andy Gibson, Fowler and Van Deman also have many ideas that they believe will benefit the campus community.

“We are running for office because we felt the leadership synergy that happens when we put our heads together will be good for the campus,” Andy Gibson said.

Like the other tickets, Andy Gibson, Fowler and Van Deman are all members of the SGA.

“We have experience from three different backgrounds aside from student government,” Andy Gibson said. “I’m the founder and CEO of Xavier’s first student-run business.”

“Van Deman is an RA and he has his finger on the pulse of what student desires are on campus. Constance is incredibly involved on so many levels, and is so organized. These talents, being in touch with the community, administrative skills, and work ethic are going to help the organization immensely, ” he said.

Their ideas, which are outlined on www.gibsonfowlervandeman.com, are themed on “Desire the Change, Take Action, Feel the Results.”

They have many ideas they want to implement, such as extending library hours and forming a Xavier Leadership Association for club leaders to meet, plan activities and exchange ideas.

Andy Gibson, Fowler and Van Deman have already been working on several issues including a bi-weekly e-newsletter to inform students, especially ones who live off-campus, of campus and community events.

They are also working on establishing community philanthropy through the SGA.

“I think as a whole we’ll work on revitalizing the ties between Norwood, Evanston and Xavier,” Fowler said.

They have already initiated an online book swap at www.xavierexchange.com.
“We want to make it known we are a ticket that is already taking action,” Andy Gibson said.

Students can vote for their 2004-05 SGA Executives today in the Gallagher Student Center.