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On October 27th, 2006 President Robert Zimmer was inaugurated as the 13th President of the University of Chicago. After the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration died away, the university began a new era of turbulent change. Expanding south of the Midway, eliminating the Uncommon Application, and becoming increasingly selective, the fabric of the University as we knew it and the reputation it has carried for many years is in a transitional stage. This is not a bad thing--change is necessary and good and will continue to push the University into a more prominent place and mold a new generation of students to become bright thinkers. However, we do face a problem when the administration fails to recognize that some of their decisions have dramatic impact on student life, and they push policies forward without thinking of the impact they will have for students at this school.

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They say that nature abhors a vacuum. If that scientific maxim can be applied to another area, it seems that nature may abhor student government, which has faced a leadership vacuum for many years. Student Government has lost sight of its primary mission: to serve students and instead turned to flashy projects and cultivated a sick culture of rule worship. The bureaucracy has become so ingrained that it no longer serves, and therefore no longer has the mandate of, those who it was created for. As it currently stands, Student Government only has the time to pass out money, push one or two new ideas forward, and deal with the crisis of the year (there always has, and always will be one) but can never get it together when it comes to the issues that student's care about. We intend to change this. The administration will listen to the elected representatives of the student body if the student body has actively chosen such representation.

Moreover, Student Government is often perceived as no more than a vacuous cesspool of indecision and ego, and consequently can hardly claim to represent the student body. It is time that this era of poor leadership is over. We need to move past the flash of overpriced LCD screens and address the issues that students actually give a damn about. The current executive slate has been taking some steps in the right direction, but we need to go farther, with the understanding that not all students are going to agree with every decision that is made, but the hope that we can do what is the best good for the most students. We need a fundamentally new vision of student government. The apathy and distaste currently felt for SG ensures us of the truth of this.

Indeed, Student Government has existed in its current state for hardly more than a decade, and it is time that we have a new mission with a new mandate from the student body. We need to look outside the bureaucratic administration and recreate the structure of the government. Every time we mistake the system we have for the system that is possible, we fail. We need to look outside the of SGFC and all of SG and create a model that works, that is a living body. I have sat through too many meetings where there has been heated debate about the appropriate amount of money to spend on paper plates for an event. Student Government shouldn't be obsessed with such acute micromanagement. Students are responsible and can build and structure great events with minimal intervention from SG.

With these ends in mind please scroll down and view some of the issues we would like to see addressed, should we be elected next week. With your help, we can make these a reality and we hope to have your input on more ideas that we can bring to the forefront.