Experience

​Our Presidential candidate, Richa Kaul, is the current Vice President of BU Student Government. Our VP Finance candidate, Josh Mosby, is a member of the Executive Staff for the current President. Our VP Internal Affairs candidate, Jamie Ellis, is Director of Events for BU Gov. Between the three of them, they have worked on and accomplished the following:

 

• Made successful steps towards tuition transparency by finding exact causes of 3.9% tuition increase

• Voted and confirmed Trans* Health Care Options (All-Inclusive) to start 2014-2015 Academic Year

• An Emergency Icon on our BU Mobile app with direct call features to BUPD, SARP, SHS (coming in April)

• Confirmed recycling on all floors of all residence halls to be started next year

• SAO Reform (In Progress)

• Discussed 24-Hour Student-Run Mental Health Support Network with Dean Elmore

• Additional Double BU-Shuttle added to rotation

• Student Government Senator Orientation

• Influential Student Government Presence at Freshman Orientation

• No-Plastic City Co Pilot Program currently at West Campus City Co

• Confirmed that the new food truck coming to campus next year (Fan Boy) will be on dining points

 

Fresh Perspective

Student Government can often become a “bubble”. Our candidate for VP, Joe Ferme, is the only candidate running in this year’s election with no prior experience in Boston University Student Government. This allows him to have an unbiased outlook on the processes and culture currently in place. With the experience of the other members of BU’s Push To Start, this makes a perfect blend of familiarity with Stu Gov mixed with a fresh perspective and critical eye. As an Admissions Coordinator, there is no denying Joe’s understanding of BU. As VP, he will provide a new, necessary insight on how we as an Executive Board can do better outreach to our community and pop the “bubble”.

 

Continuity

President Brown and other administrators have voiced multiple times, most recently at the Student Leader Dinner earlier this semester, that continuity in Student Government is key to its success as an organization. President Brown mentioned that with continuity comes familiarity with administration and the ability to accomplish long-term goals in which many students say they want a voice. Our slate is here to bring just that. You’ll notice that there are no points on our platform that have already been tried by Student Government or are currently being worked on, because our current positions allow us to be fully knowledgeable about the working agenda. Also, with a Presidential candidate that is currently VP, we are able to utilize the connections Richa has already made to push our initiatives with the right people. Josh Mosby, our VP Finance candidate, is the only freshman running in this election. The hope is that he will continue to be involved in Student Government in his future years so that we can foster a long-term agenda to best serve our student body.

 

Realistic Agenda

High aspirations are always important, but when running for our Student Government, candidates need to be able to deliver on their promises. Our platform is comprised of ideas that we know we can accomplish. With our experience, we know the hoops to jump through, the people to talk to, and how to present the student perspective to administration. Every point on our initial platform is not only feasible, but will get done if we are elected.

 

Evolving Platform

We decided early on in our campaign that our platform is not just our platform, it’s also YOUR platform. Throughout elections so far, we have received messages and comments from our peers across campus on what they want to see changed next year. We have built these ideas into our own agenda, because we are determined to listen to our student body and focus on the changes you want to see. If you go to our Facebook page, you can see the quotes from fellow students in the Push To Start Our Campus album, or you can visit our Platform tab here and scroll all the way down.

 

 

Getting Things Done

What does this all amount to? At the end of the day, we know you want an Executive Board that can get things done, and we would be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be those people. We are a passionate, unified team that will bring to life the changes, big or small, that you want to see around our campus. Please vote for us on your Student Link Monday, Mach 31st to Monday, April 7th by clicking Vote at the top of the page and voting for Richa Kaul, Joe Ferme, Jamie Ellis, and Josh Mosby.

 

 

Footnotes/Explanations

1 – Four factors that went into this year’s tuition increase:

• Accessibility: When BU offers more financial aid to students and families who can’t always afford BU’s high rates, the difference contributes to the tuition of the rest of the student body.

• Energy: BU runs on natural gas, and natural gas prices have risen dramatically in the last year.

• Investments in Student Resources: Every year, BU invests in new technology, improved facilities, and student programs. This year, the Educational Resource Center and Center for Career Development were specifically mentioned.

• Faculty and Staff Wage Increases: BU offers a 2% salary increase each year.

 

2 – Current SAO Reform is in the Works Focusing on:

• Accountability (example: when SAO loses student group forms)

• Streamlining SAO by getting more processes online

• More uniform training across workers

 

3 – Conversation with Dean Elmore about 24-Hour Student-Run Mental Health Support Network: This program brings many liabilities that need to be worked out. But administration is aware that our peer institutions offer this and they are willing to look into it.