All five candidates for Associated Student Government president call for increased communication between ASG and the student body. But although they agree on some student issues, the candidates possess markedly different ideas about relations with administrators.
While voting in today’s ASG presidential race, students can choose candidates who strive to cooperate with administrators or they can select candidates who take tougher stances and demand answers.
Candidate Jordan Heinz, who worked with administrators this year as ASG Executive Vice President, advocates increasing ASG’s relationship with the administration. But opponents Scott Badenoch and Anil Hurkadli said
students should demand action from administrators. Candidates Jay Goyal and Howard Lien take a more moderate approach, preferring to initially compromise with administrators while keeping student interests first.
Heinz said working against the administration is counterproductive because “almost every decision affecting student life goes through their hands.”
“ASG’s relationship with the administration is the catalyst for change and getting things accomplished,” said Heinz, an Education junior. “The number one priority of the ASG president should be to build a relationship of trust with administrators.”
Heinz’s platform calls for increasing ASG’s administrative contacts by working with the vice presidents for development and business and finance to solicit donations for student projects.
But Goyal said he believes ASG can work with administrators without becoming their lackeys. His platform calls for student review committees to monitor the administration. Goyal also said it is his “ultimate goal” to make student referenda binding for administrators.
“Since administrators do make the decisions, we need to create a system of accountability to make sure they make the right ones,” said Goyal, a McCormick sophomore. “You need to be up front and work with administrators, but sometimes there comes a point where that is no longer useful.”
Lien agreed and said the relationship between ASG and the administration now is only passable and does not serve students well.
“The relationship can be improved when the administration shows real interest in responding to student needs,” said Lien, a Weinberg sophomore. “The administration now only does the minimum it feels it has to do to appease students.”
Lien also said that if administrators decide not to respond to student concerns, the ASG president should pursue other solutions, such as going to NU’s Board of Trustees, in an effort to “get the students’ will done.”
Badenoch said that he would push for a businesslike relationship with administrators that would “keep students as equals instead of like a subservient mass.” He wants to compile a list of student grievances on campus, present the list to administrators and demand change.
“I’m not going to be confrontational, but I am against compromise and acting like ASG has in the past,” said Badenoch, a Weinberg junior. “My goal is to demand the answers that students deserve.”
Hurkadli said he agrees with Badenoch’s approach because “the administration owes the students.”
“ASG isn’t the best lobbying force to the administration, the students as a whole are,” he said at the presidential debate. “We need to distance ASG from being associated with the administration and show students that they have an ally in their discontent with us.”
But administrators said this year’s ASG Executive Board has made a difference by attempting to look for common ground with them.
University President Henry Bienen said his relationship with ASG has become a strong one.
“(ASG President) Adam Humann has been very able and constructive this year,” Bienen said. “I don’t know if there have been many compromises per se because mostly we just agreed.”
Bienen also said compromise is necessary because “no one likes to work in an adversarial setting.” Interim Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis agreed and said ASG’s emphasis on communication has had productive outcomes.
“If you set someone up as the enemy, you create more obstacles than necessary,” Banis said. “While ASG and the administration didn’t agree on every issue this year, we did disagree in a civil way. Bringing that spirit of cooperation to the table is just fundamentally a good way to negotiate.”
