Senate candidate statements

“I want to be a senator!”: Candidates wish to join the ranks of senators Kaplan, Pourzand and Duer-Balkind

Seventeen Oberlin students have applied for positions of Student Senate. Nine of these have submitted candidate statements for publications.

Elections begin Saturday, Sept. 24 and end on Saturday, Oct. 1. Senate will host a “get-to-know-the candidates” night on Sept. 24.

Benjamin Klebanoff
College first-year

My name is Benjamin Klebanoff. I am a first-year from Westchester County, NY. Throughout high school, I spent a majority of my time working in the student government. This past year, I was the lead representative of the senior class, and I wrote the soon to be adopted student government constitution.

While my experience since I arrived at Oberlin has been positive, I have found myself wondering why certain things aren’t different. Why, for instance, must I walk all the way to the library to print a report?

Can’t every dorm have a printer that operates like those in a computer lab? Furthermore, why do students have to pay for The New York Times? Other colleges have programs where students can get the Times for free, why not us? If elected, while I of course can’t guarantee anything, I will look into these and other issues. I wish all of the other candidates the best of luck and I thank you for your time.

David Pratt
College first-year

After only three weeks at Oberlin, I say this without a hint of irony: I learn new things everyday. For example, the Walmrat is not our mascot and, thankfully, Tents of Consent never had anything to do with getting consented into courses. At first, I was content just to go on learning new things, until a colleague informed me: Mt. Oberlin is no longer the highest point in Lorain County!

Every day, the growth of our local landfill continues to outpace that of Mt. Oberlin, and the Administration has done nothing. All we have to do is deepen our swimming pools, add the dirt to Mt. Oberlin, recycle even harder, and together, we can beat the landfill. Our problems will not be solved by the minds that created them. Our generation must take on this issue. Vote David Pratt for Student Senate.

Colin Jones
College sophomore

My name is Colin Jones and I’m a sophomore politics major. I chose to run for Student Senate because I believe that the senate has limited power if it is not acting with the broad backing of the student body as a whole. If we expect to be heard and respected we must offer a clear voice and be prepared to take action. We must press to be participants and not spectators in crucial decisions, empowered by the fullest possible financial transparency. Together we can stand up against cuts to faculty and students, priorities placing athletics over academics and any slide in our commitment to social justice. Senators must lead the way in such endeavors. I pledge to be fully accessible and listen to your concerns anytime. I can’t tell you everything that can needs to be done on campus, but I am prepared to listen and articulate our collective vision.

Brendan Morris
College sophomore

I’m running for Student Senate because I oppose reducing the size of the student body and the faculty in order to deal with the financial crisis. We shouldn’t be cutting academics and boosting extracurricular activities. Additionally, I’m concerned that as we implement the Strategic Plan, the school will reduce financial aid to students and that the arts will suffer the majority of cuts in the College.

We need student senators who will continue to oppose cuts to education and financial aid, as well as favor a fair distribution of cuts between the arts and sciences if they must be done.

Most importantly though, we need an effective Student Senate that is proactive in engaging students. Student Senate has a responsibility to inform the student body, listen to student concerns and then legitimately represent those concerns to the faculty and the administration. As a student senator, I will do just that.

Christopher Sanders
College sophomore

As a Student Senate candidate, I pride myself on being an extremely open and understanding person. As an African American born with a birth defect I felt that I have always been on “the outside” looking in.

Having to try and find my identity as a person of color and as someone who is “different” has been a real challenge. I believe whole-heartedly that these experiences will help me handle the responsibilities and issues associated with becoming a student senator. Most importantly, giving a voice to those marginalized, unrepresented and minority student groups on campus.

Over the summer, I had the privilege of working for the District of Columbia city council as an intern. I mainly worked with the director of constituent services helping handle resident problems ranging from unfair authority treatment to housing issues. I also worked with D.C. Vote, an organization working towards gaining voting rights and representation for the residents of the District of Columbia in the federal government.

With both of these experiences, I had the chance to learn a great deal about the political process and about fighting for the underprivileged, underrepresented and minority groups. I believe one of the biggest problems on campus is the lack of representation for the underrepresented student groups, on campus. The College is increasingly ignoring the students voice in issues that affect us as students. As a student senator, I intend to firmly express and present the students concerns, problems and suggestions to the administration in an action-demanding way.

Stephen Herrick
College junior

As a student senator I will seek to raise the level of discourse on campus and promote communication between disparate groups to the benefit of the College as a whole. I will strive to improve the standing of groups that are often marginalized such as those with mental disorders, first-years and political and religious conservatives. My vision for Oberlin is a functional community of peace, tolerance and charity, and I will pursue that goal however I can.

Lindsay Baruffa
College junior

During my time here at Oberlin, I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know some of our student senators. Upon mention of Senate, however, many students react with sheer apathy. Senate is not the most reputable organization on campus, which is partially why I am running. I want more students to know what senate does. Senate should be relevant and effective. I want the administration to be considerate of student concerns and take Senate seriously. I feel that Senate is a great avenue through which to have a positive impact on our campus and I promise to work hard to make sure that your issues, ideas and concerns are heard and translated into action. If you have any questions, I would be more than glad to talk with you. Thanks; I appreciate your consideration!

Ezra Temko
College junior

Did you hear the joke about Senate? No? Probably because Senate isn’t on most students’ radar. I want to change that. My name is Ezra and I am asking for your vote.

I will work for students to become integrally involved in the development of College policies and procedures. I want your voice to be heard. Now is an important time for Senate as we move into the implementation stage of our Strategic Plan. If elected, I will work to improve communication, collaboration and consultation between students and the administration as well as between Senate and the student body. For more information or to tell me what is important to you, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Help Senate be all that it can be; elect me!

Endorsed by the Environmental Policy Implementation Group (EPIG).

Adam Vogel
College senior

Hello, my fellow students. It is I, the guy you see walking around with big hair. Let’s get to what’s important: Everyone else running for Senate is dull and fussy. I may have been your RA at one time. You will recall my happiness at letting you in without charging you when you were locked out. I will carry this ruthless efficiency and intolerance for BS over to the senate. I also vow to make wise and enlightened decisions on your behalf. The others have agendas. They will spend their time on Senate attempting to accomplish their own grandiose aspirations instead of implementing the crazy leftist policies you, my good constituents, thirst for. I will be your faithful delegate. Voting for Adam is mandatory. I will also push the envelope. I made my candidate statement exceed the maximum word length by one, to see if I can get away with it.
 
 

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