See question 6.

As with many issues, student government needn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to efforts to end violence on UK’s campus.  There are already existing student organizations and university programs such as the VIP Center devoted to this cause and our leaders in SG must promote these organizations and fight for their adequate funding.  However, with a majority of sexual violence on campus being perpetrated by a friend or acquaintance of the victim, we as a campus community must also encourage education on the issue both voluntarily and in the classroom if need be.

While student government has no inherent legal authority with regard to the budget, it can serve a very important role in channeling student opinion toward elected officials who do play a part in the budget debate.  Student government must learn to not take no for an answer from the politicians in Frankfort while continuing to work with them to ensure that students at Kentucky’s flagship school are not forced to give up higher education because state government can’t exercise fiscal responsibility.

Being a member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth since my arrival in Kentucky nearly three years ago, I have for some time been involved in efforts to increase voter education and participation, and am thus enthusiastic about the possibilities on campus.  As president of the UK College Democrats, I worked with our members and allied organizations to organize voter registration drives and to encourage voting in the primary election and general election and will use my experience in that area when I am a member of Student Government.

Our Lexington-Fayette Co. elected officials have long felt as if to ignore and neglect the student population of the city is no big deal; students must remind them that this is not so.  By encouraging student engagement in their local and state government, and by restoring legitimacy to student government itself, SG will be able to better express to local government the concerns of students and to articulate to the student body the concerns of local government and community members.

I’m proud of my engagement in issues and organizations relating to diversity on UK’s campus and will continue my involvement in such communities and encourage my fellow members of student government to do likewise.  Additionally, I will be sure to keep my mind, my ears, and my eyes open to any and all ideas on how I might be better informed on issues of this nature.

We also are woefully behind the times at UK with regards to students with disabilities.  Despite federal and state laws passed to help improve problems of accessibility for disabled individuals, there are still parts of campus that are all but inaccessible to these students.  It is for these students and these members of our campus community that we must fight because we cannot stand by while our campus is sectioned off into areas for disabled students and areas for non-disabled students.  And this will be a priority when I am in student government.

Furthermore, it is my belief that part of the problem is that we are not diverse enough.  We need to create a culture of cooperation and understanding at UK; not one of division and strife.  The sooner we create such a culture, the better our campus will be both in general and with regards to diversity.

Universities are where trend-setting ideas are often born, and it should be no different with issues of sustainability.  UK in particular should be leading the community, the Commonwealth, and the country in promoting sustainability both on campus and in research that would benefit society beyond our campus’s borders.  We must do this by encouraging increased research into green energy technology; by encouraging the activities of student organizations such as Greenthumb to promote compact fluorescent lightbulbs and other sustainable energy options; by expanding the funding and scope of existing recycling programs; by educating students, faculty, and staff on how to live and work in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment; and finally by working with local elected officials to make Lexington—an already relatively bike-friendly city—even more so.

Student government officials must voice the opinion of and answer to the students first and foremost, so voicing an opinion different from the university president or Board of Trustees is imperative if that opinion exists among the student body.  As for Robinson Forest, I think it is always unfortunate when we destroy portions of our natural environment and will make that opinion known as often as possible.

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