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For the 2007 ASSU Elections, make your first choice Brian Truebe and Folahan Olowoyeye of the Warm Weather Party, and your second choice Brett Hammond and Lakshmi Karra of Brett and Lakshmi.
The Warm Weather party is running on a pro-student-freedom and an anti-administration ticket. Their candidacy is motivated in large part by increasing restrictions that have been placed on students’ and student groups’ freedom.
The immediate target of Warm Weather’s wrath is the Office of Student Affairs, which has slowly been eroding the social atmosphere on campus. Most recently, they have taken to shutting down and unnecessarily restricting parties – fraternities and students have been suddenly been told they could not hold parties planned months in advance because of a recalculation by the OSA. Warm Weather also plan to revive and increase student control over Full Moon on the Quad and the Mausoleum Party, two long-standing Stanford traditions that have recently lost much of their edgy and provocative character and are administered by the Orwellian-sounding “Absolute Fun.” Nor are students’ woes restricted to social planning: the Stanford Band is still in limbo and must cope with micromanagement by administrators, while dozens of other student groups complain about red tape, the University’s opacity and other roadblocks in going about daily business.
Truebe and Olowoyeye would adopt a highly confrontational attitude toward the administration. While individual student groups have trouble asserting their interests, the ASSU exec speaks for the entire student body, and can wage a more effective campaign on students’ behalf. Recognizing that the admnisitration’s stance is in part a product of liability concerns, Warm Weather would have students sign a stronger liability agreement when they enroll, giving the University the legal position to allow their reforms.
We like Warm Weather’s general position on student groups, which is decidedly libertarian: “We believe that student groups should be free to do whatever the hell they want.” We are optimistic that a Warm Weather administration would end much of the favoritism toward certain student groups that has been endemic of the ASSU in the last several years.
We have long held that Residential Education’s (ResEd) policies are draconian and indoctrinate an uncritical attitude in students. We are happy that Warm Weather agree – they will end ResEd micromanagement of dorm life and support policies like door-to-door distribution that allow for free expression in dorms. We also hope that they will adopt a critical attitude toward Crossing the Line.
Finally, a Warm Weather administration would combat student apathy. Brian Truebe and Folahan Olowoyeye have a penchant for theatrics. While there is the possibility of excess, we believe that a more light-hearted ASSU can embody the spontaneous aspects of Stanford life and will get the student body to pay more attention to student politics, which should translate into an ultimately more politically aware and thoughtful student body.
Second Choice: Brett/Lakshmi
The ASSU’s instant runoff voting system for Executive allows voters to rank several candidates. Should the student’s first round pick get tossed out, their second choice will count as having received a vote.
Brett Hammond and Lakshmi Karra are dedicated and competent candidates dedicated to fighting for student liberties. They make a worthy second choice!
