| << Front page | News | November 9, 2007 |
Off the Cuff: Colin Jones
Colin Jones is a College senior and student senator. He received the most votes of any candidate in the latest student elections.
What are your plans for your last year in the Student Senate?
This is the legacy year, where many seniors will have a final chance to leave their mark. For me that means continuing to work on SFC. Currently, there are a lot of groups in limbo. We need to buckle down and get through the appeal process.
I want to work with Senate and the Board of Trustees to increase the student activity fee. Also, we should reduce the bureaucracy within SFC through technology improvements. I think that in many ways SFC can be user-friendlier, but if we can’t ease the resource scarcity then it is impossible for us to make room for the pressing needs such as those for club sports.
Our other largest problem is communication. We need to explain better why decisions are made if we hope to have legitimacy. I know many people are frustrated and I ask for patience. We are working at it! It is hard to understand the process until you spend 30 hours pouring over budgets. There are only so many hours you can go before you hit the wall.
You received nearly 500 votes in the Senate elections. Why do you think you did so well?
I take the job very seriously and I think people can see that. My effort and that of my supporters was ahead of the curve. I started early and continued with strong campaigning. I have been approachable to people and I wasn’t afraid to talk to people on the street or at TGIF about my run for Senate. Also, of course, I brought out my toga from years past to fully play the role.
Is there anything to the rumors that you may quit the Senate?
I would rather skip this one... I am here to stay.
Are you working on any exciting projects in the political arena outside of the Student Senate?
I have been working with the Oberlin Peace Activist League for the last two years. This year we are bringing in Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector for a lecture and workshops in November. We were part of the peace rally that happened in Tappan Square in September. I think that those types of events bring the College and community together, and that is always a good thing.
At that event, the Oberlin Congressional Research Project, which includes four members of OPAL including myself, presented Congresswoman Kaptur with our latest research on armed contractors in Iraq. We will be sitting down with her in the next week to go over what we found. That has been a great experience that I hope inspires others to press.
In addition to all these other activities, you also have a band. How is that going? Do you think you’ll get signed?
Well I am currently the lead singer of Bulls on Parade, Oberlin’s premier Rage Against the Machine cover band. We have played a few parties and are about to do a demo. We will probably play more parties and small gigs. I don’t think we are getting signed, but it is fun as hell.
What are your plans for your last year in the Student Senate?
This is the legacy year, where many seniors will have a final chance to leave their mark. For me that means continuing to work on SFC. Currently, there are a lot of groups in limbo. We need to buckle down and get through the appeal process.
I want to work with Senate and the Board of Trustees to increase the student activity fee. Also, we should reduce the bureaucracy within SFC through technology improvements. I think that in many ways SFC can be user-friendlier, but if we can’t ease the resource scarcity then it is impossible for us to make room for the pressing needs such as those for club sports.
Our other largest problem is communication. We need to explain better why decisions are made if we hope to have legitimacy. I know many people are frustrated and I ask for patience. We are working at it! It is hard to understand the process until you spend 30 hours pouring over budgets. There are only so many hours you can go before you hit the wall.
You received nearly 500 votes in the Senate elections. Why do you think you did so well?
I take the job very seriously and I think people can see that. My effort and that of my supporters was ahead of the curve. I started early and continued with strong campaigning. I have been approachable to people and I wasn’t afraid to talk to people on the street or at TGIF about my run for Senate. Also, of course, I brought out my toga from years past to fully play the role.
Is there anything to the rumors that you may quit the Senate?
I would rather skip this one... I am here to stay.
Are you working on any exciting projects in the political arena outside of the Student Senate?
I have been working with the Oberlin Peace Activist League for the last two years. This year we are bringing in Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector for a lecture and workshops in November. We were part of the peace rally that happened in Tappan Square in September. I think that those types of events bring the College and community together, and that is always a good thing.
At that event, the Oberlin Congressional Research Project, which includes four members of OPAL including myself, presented Congresswoman Kaptur with our latest research on armed contractors in Iraq. We will be sitting down with her in the next week to go over what we found. That has been a great experience that I hope inspires others to press.
In addition to all these other activities, you also have a band. How is that going? Do you think you’ll get signed?
Well I am currently the lead singer of Bulls on Parade, Oberlin’s premier Rage Against the Machine cover band. We have played a few parties and are about to do a demo. We will probably play more parties and small gigs. I don’t think we are getting signed, but it is fun as hell.
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