james anderson
candidate for Senator to the college of liberal arts and sciences
My name is James Anderson, and I am running for Senator of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I am a first year graduate student at UIS, and I received my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am running for this position because while the university is an exceptional place, I feel like there is still room for improvement.
As Senator I would make every effort to stay in tuned to the issues affecting my college and the UIS community as a whole by making myself as available as possible to my constituents, and being receptive to their needs and concerns. We are beleaguered by problems like rising tuition, fees and textbook costs, and if elected I will do what is necessary to make sure students’ voices are heard on these matters. Whether that means putting together statistics, calling administrators, speaking with legislators about college affordability, or lobbying for bills that have the potential to benefit students, I want to help make a difference.
I believe open communication between students and representatives is essential. We need to increase awareness of the newly created SGA Blog Site—where people can leave comments and respond to posts, and encourage anyone interested to stop by and chew the fat during SGA members’ office hours to discuss whatever might be grinding their gears. An open mic on the quad has been proposed, where students could speak freely about changes they want to see, and I believe something like that should be held at least once a semester.
Additionally, many students feel the dorm experience can be improved upon, and since on-campus living is still in its nonage, now is the opportune time to do so. Also, creating more of a Campustown atmosphere in which restaurants and stores are added on or near campus could be a boon to the university and students alike. That may not be within the scope of student government, but it’s worth looking into further. Glass recycling is still lacking at UIS, which is something else I would like to see change. And finally, I think all issues pertaining to student rights are important, and a provision like the Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty—which blocks access to federal financial aid for students with drug convictions—is not only asinine, but completely unjust, and should be repealed.
If these sound like good ideas to you, please get online April 15-16 and cast your vote.
