The Heights endorses Osnato-Taziva

The Undergraduate Government of Boston College is often criticized for being an elitist, self-serving organization. Fortunately, this stereotype is one that both of this year's final two presidential teams are aware of and plan to alter. After only about 20 percent of the undergraduate body voted in the primaries, The Heights feels this is a legitimate concern, and asked the candidates how they plan to reach out to the 80 percent of students who did not vote and are less involved on campus. While their approaches to the issue differ, each candidate team recognizes the need for the student government to reach out to non-UGBC students.

 

With the slogan "Because YOU Matter," the presidential team of Chris Osnato and Kudzai Taziva, both A&S '13, plans to utilize their enthusiasm and charisma to reach out to students and answer the question that so many undergraduates ask, "What can UGBC do for me?"

 

Similarly, Vanessa Gomez and Jennifer Wanandi, both A&S '13, want to go "To New Heights" by making UGBC more accessible through a restructuring of the organization into one that is more aware, approachable, and productive –bringing UGBC back to its mission statement, which identifies its purpose as meeting the needs and desires of the BC student. 

 

After much deliberation and thought, The Heights has decided to endorse Osnato and Taziva for president and vice president of the UGBC. Marked by dynamic energy and passion, we believe they are in sync with the student body and will make their students' concerns a top priority. As members of the undergraduate government, the president and vice president must be student leaders who represent the pulse of the campus, as they have the privileged unique ability to speak on behalf of the student body, a quality which we believe Osnato and Taziva embody.

 

With a platform that centers on collaboration, school spirit, and re-establishing the connection between the undergraduates and the undergraduate government, Osnato and Taziva have the capability and vision to lead the student government effectively and to reverse the UGBC stereotype. They have demonstrated a realistic understanding of their prospective roles as leaders of the UGBC and the initiatives that can be realistically enacted via those roles.

 

When speaking with The Heights, Osnato and Taziva presented certain facets of their platform that particularly resonated with our board members. To address the low voter turnout in the primaries, they have adopted an ambitious approach to reaching out to the remaining 80 percent of the student body. The team has included in their platform a "Dorm Representatives" initiative, which will allow individuals from each residence hall to be resources for students and to communicate to their dorm the initiatives that UGBC is pursuing and the events UGBC offers. This is the kind of tangible interaction we believe is necessary to encourage more students to be involved in student government affairs.

 

In forming campaign platforms, it is easy to be overly ambitious, but the Osnato-Taziva duo has coupled their "Dorm Representatives" campaign with a series of realistic platform points that, if implemented, would have direct and immediate effects on student life. Among these points is their desire to establish a fair where all of the majors and minors offered by the University will have stations set up to explain the intricacies of course requirements. The fair will be coupled with peer advising opportunities, where students can hear about the experiences their peers have had in the respective majors and minors. 

 

Osnato and Taziva have also included in their platform ideas to increase school spirit, especially concerning sporting events, and establish as a tradition the fall and spring concerts. The Heights feels that these two areas are representative of the concerns of the average student.

 

With these platform points in mind, The Heights wishes to impart some advice to Osnato and Taziva if they are to be elected. Though we laud your enthusiasm, we want to remind you of the challenges you will face when translating students' concern into action. In order to bring your initiatives to fruition, you will need to build relationships with administrators immediately and tackle the learning curve you will face head on.

 

These are areas where the Gomez-Wanandi team have incredible strength. The Heights would like to praise Gomez-Wanandi for their passion and hard work. While we have decided not to endorse the team, we feel that their experience and professionalism should be commended, and we hope that regardless of the final decision for UGBC president and vice president, Gomez and Wanandi continue to stay as involved as they are now within the organization, and work to help press initiatives to fruition.