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What do you thnk about Randy Mueller running for office?
About the Crash story, do you think the film should have met with that much resistance or not?
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31 comments:
I think it's great that Randy's running for office. Then again, I may be biased. :-)
Randy
I agree with Randy!
running for both aswsuv and state legislature is a lot. maybe randy would be better to pick just one. the last thing we need is a president or legislator who is unable to devote the necessary time to his constituents.
Yeah, I have to agree, it seems like he isn't really interested in the ASWSUV if he is running for state legislature at the same time, or has some really screwed up priorities. I have a hard enough time getting my studying done and working a job, can't imagine doing all that effectively.
I am excited that Stephanie Klein and Nathan Weiss is running. I have them in a few classes and I think they would do a great job. Randy should choose one or the other to do....
I agree with the above person. I also have them in the same classes (maybe all public admin people have all the same classes?) and they are always really nice to me. I wish them good luck. oh and its are running, not is running but since we are supporting the same people I will let that slide (;
When I saw Randy was running with Marina, I thought how cunning.
'politicin'! Similar to Henry Ballard, that dude has an agenda, and
it is not service for services sake. Straight 'politicin' ! He is a
conservative, while Marina seems progressive. 'politicin'! I just
don't get it. I looked at some of the other candidates' campaign
slogans and themes, and it seems as though everyone is playing big
"P" politics, which is utter nonsense. For, instance one flyer said
something about fiscal conservatism. When one is talking about
spending student fees for student purposes, how can one be fiscally
conservative? That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. Spend
the money! Invite students to form clubs and spend the money. Look
for innovative ways to spend the money. 'politicin'! we need to move
away from that type of 'politicin', as Cora Redding would say. On
another note, another flyer put fear in my heart, regarding the
pending freshman invasion. Wake up nothing much is gonna change. It
is expected that the new students will amount to 200 fte, which is a
10% increase. This school's meat and potatoes are transfer students,
and it will remain that way for a time to come. Nonetheless, this
should not be a concern just figure out how to spend the money, and
stop 'politicin'.
sources:
The Jack Bull directed by John Badham
I personally agree with the sentiment that Randy should pick either or. Furthermore, it seems that the rules need to be clarified; I beleive that Randy cannot hold both offices under the ASWSUV constitution. In light of that fact, it seems obvious that he will resign his post as ASWSUV president (if he wins both). This leaves a hole to be filled within ASWSUV. If he leaves (again, if he wins), Marina moves to President, which means she has to appoint a Vice President... who would be the likely choice?
By Randy's face at the debate, it seemed like we were wasting his time anyway. I don't think he was amused with our little student government process, and it seemed as though he felt it was below him.
Adam and Abbi are definitely a force to reckon with. They both are familiar with student government and have heard the complaints about student government. I concur with the prior comments about Randy, and find it disturbing that some of his 5 points have already been accomplished, for example the fees are staying on campus now due to a decision made at the beginning of this year and the election reform has already been initiated by the senate, yet he is already prepared to take credit for it. George had some interesting points, but he definitely got flustered when the pressure got put on him, and I'm not sure what platform he is running under. Same with Nathan and Steph, I hear a lot of "what do the students want", but not a lot of this is what I'll do for them.
Also there have already been a couple issues around comments made by candidates, namely Stephanie's remark to MRC about having been a minority based on skin color (maybe try approaching it from a female perspective, not color) and Randy calling MRC a "problem" and referring to it's members as "those people".
Overall the choice has become rather clear to me, unless there is a dramatic shift in platform and opinions of some of the candidates.
Hey, when will the current issue of the Vancougar start getting posted on the website again?
Hello friends!
A few replies:
(1) Yes, I'm running for two offices. Anyone who knows my status in the GOP knows that I am unlikely to make it through the convention process because of the perception that I'm way too liberal compared to the membership. Hence, my run for state office may be over in April and is really only good to build name ID for a later attempt in '08.
(2) Did I have an uncaring facial expression? LOL! I'll try to do a better job at putting on a sympathetic face. If it's any consolation, I was smiling on the inside.
(3) You've got to love the PC thought police, where referring to "those people in that club" gets construed as "those people" in some sort of negative context. As a Republican at WSUV, I know what it's like to be a minority!
Thanks for the support, and don't forget to visit www.randyandmarina.com !
Randy
...oh, and the "problem" is that we don't have anyone actively promoting diversity issues in our ASWSUV Multicultural Committee. Instead, people (there's that word!) are working on these issues through a club which isn't even a part of student government.
I'm sure someone can find a way to twist my words if they look hard enough, though. I'd like to see student government MORE involved in diversity issues, not less. This means getting some people (gasp, he said "people" again) to work on firing up the committee, not just sitting on the sidelines.
Randy
uh, there is someone heading the multicultural committee already, and sorry, you have no idea what it's like to be a minority. Saying that as a white male shows how ignorant you trully are. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and didn't entirely agree with the critical assesment of your poor choice of words during the debate, but the more I hear you talk, the more I think you really don't understand the issues surrounding diversity and how to address them on our campus. Just a tip, if you really do aspire to enter politics, watch your words more carefully, because your true colors are starting to show.
i dont know about that, they all seemed pretty good to me. i know George from Clark College, he's really nice even if he's not so slick. And Randy helped keep the buses running, which is cool because our family rides them. i don't know about the other guy, Adam?
The fact is the MCC (abbreviated for convenience) had sat dormant for a looooong time (most of the school year, I believe), with little or no participation or results for the rest of the student body to see. How in the hell is me advocating for MORE involvement in student government a bad thing?
And thanks for bashing us ignorant "white males", I take it you don't believe that I can ever contribute to a discourse on diversity? What do you even know about me? I don't appreciate being stereotyped by my sex and skin color, I would have thought anyone with half a brain would have learned in their classes at WSUV that diversity is more than just race and sex. Do you know anything about my socioeconomic status? I guarantee I come from a poorer family than almost anyone else at our university. In May I will be the first person from either side of my family to ever receive a college degree. Until the age of 18, I never lived in a house that didn't have wheels on the bottom of it. Do you know about any disabilities I may have? I struggle with things like handicapped parking, and have spent 20 minutes every day for the last 7 years doing hypnotherapy for pain relief. Do you know what it's like to deal with a university that gives lip service to diversity, but when it's time for "academic diversity" they're unabashedly liberal? If you think liberal bias is a myth at colleges and universities, check out:
http://www.collegerepublicans.org/index.php?content=biasactvsm
or
http://www.conservativesoncampus.com/InTheNews.asp
I would protest these anonymous attacks, but by criticizing me on the basis of my sex and skin color you do more to prove my point than I ever could. Diversity is about so much more than that!
Randy
I have visited here many times, but this is the first time I have felt compelled to write.
I thought Randy was a liberal Republican. Since he's on both sides of the fence, he's right he'll always be a minority, yet ironically enough, he can be part of the majority at the same time. Funny how we all go to the same school, yet Randy seems to think he is the only one that has to deal with a liberal school, only difference is he can't seem to decide if he's liberal or not. Go ahead and keep believing you are the victim Randy, but I have to agree with the other posters on here, you seem to be digging a mighty big hole.
Good morning! A few more responses for ya:
"Randy seems to think he is the only one that has to deal with a liberal school"
Nope, I know there are many students who recognize this. For example, Abbi Smith is one of them. She and I had a good talk the other day about dealing with liberal bias in the classroom.
"he can't seem to decide if he's liberal or not"
Actually, I know exactly who I am and where I stand. Like most Americans (and 67% of college students), I don't identify solely with the views of one political party. You may describe it as sitting on both sides of the fence, but it's not just a matter of liberal vs conservative or Republican vs Democrat. There is so much more to a person's beliefs than that!
keep believing you are the victim
The only victim here is the student body, which has had little or no student government involvement on diversity issues. Instead, many of the most well-qualified people have focused their efforts into the MRC club outside of student government. We need to attract and retain those well qualified persons to work within the system to make it better.
Randy
Randy, I was directed here to see what was being said, and I just wanted to clarify a couple things. First off, MRC is a very new club, and its members are allowed to speak for themselves, but they do not necessarily speak for MRC, so please respect our organization when you respond to their comments. As such, I am responding as an individual who has insight into MRC's activities, not as a representative of MRC. We have not sat dormant for most of the year; our members have put a tremendous amount of energy and time into making MRC what it is now. Much of our focus thus far has been on developing a sustainable student organization, and although our activities at the beginning of the semester were not highly visible, we were by no means not showing results. We do embrace different ideas of diversity, and you as well as anyone else is more than welcome to attend our meetings, several individuals from different departments on campus already do, but until you have, please refrain from making judgments or baseless claims against MRC. As was mentioned before the multicultural coordinator position within student government is filled, and that individual has actually been attending our meetings, as has Kiri, the current VP, and we are making every effort to work with student government, but as an RSO our activities are by definition outside of student government, and this in fact gives us more freedom to accomplish our goals. We have in no way voiced an unwillingness to work with ASWSUV, in fact quite the opposite; we have invited them to discuss how we can work together, as we have done with many of the offices and organizations on campus. If you have any questions or would like to attend one of our meetings or events you are welcome to do so, but please don't attack our organization without at least discussing your concerns with us first to ensure they are valid. If you have further questions feel free to talk to me, or contact MRC directly.
Thanks Rigo, if you read the above posts I was referring to the ASWSUV Multicultural Committee which I abbreviated as the MCC. That is the group I referred to as being dormant for most of the year, and having only recently hired a coordinator.
The MRC is great, I just think that more effort should be directed to addressing diversity issues from inside student government as opposed to outside of it in a club.
You say tomato, I say tomato. Wait, that doesn't work when you type it out...
Randy
I'm a volunteer on political campaigns for candidates (Democrats)and ballot measures. In the past I've worked with Marina Delon and have been really impressed with her energy and devotion. I know Randy isn't a Democrat but he's supported lots of progressive issues too, and he seems okay from what I've seen and heard. George McCoy is a loser, though, and I can't believe anyone would vote for him. And doesn't that Abby girl write for the paper? They're always bashing student government, which is funny cuz now she wants to be part of it. Will the Vancougar do an endorsement like they did last year? That would be funny if they picked their own reporter as their recommended candidate!
The Vancougar endorses someone every year as they should, and with the work Abbie has done with reporting on student government, I don't see why they wouldn't recommend her. Also wouldn't it make sense that if she had bashed student government she would be aware of the problems, and possible solutions to those problems? I hear a lot of talk from these candidates, but so far George (a nice guy and not a loser)has proposed things that he would not be able to do as president, and Randy seems to be making this more of a publicity stunt for his political hopes. With Adam saying things that make sense and are realistic, and both he and Abbie having awareness of the activities and scope of student government, why wouldn't they be a good choice? I mean to each their own opinion, but come on the other candidates have not really voiced their platform, and of those who have, Adam and Abbie are probably the most representative of the students, they just seem like much more genuine people. Really, this is student government, most people don't care about what they do, but step back for a minute, who would you chose to have to deal with, and who do you think would still be attached to the student vibe enough to chose what activities reflect the student body?
OK everyone, I'm taking bets for how many times you'll find Ali Abdul-Aziz's name in the next issue of the VanCougar. I swear he gets so much ongoing coverage that he should be paying for it. It seems like if you want attention in the WSUV media, you have to be a member of the MRC club, be a proponent of "Social Justice", be pissed off about "evil corporate empires", or have some other close encounter of the liberal kind. The staff must be made up of nothing but latte liberals obsessed with diversity. Man, I wish I could be defined by my skin colour, or some other cultural category. Then I might get some attention. When do we get to the point where someone hits the breaks and says, "We get the message, now lets move on?" It just seems like every issue of the paper runs around the same ring of topics, catering to the group on campus I like to refer to as "the public affairs special interest". Is there life beyond our liberal fishbowl? We don't know! We've never been there!
speak for yourself, some of us have been there, and if you don't like the way things are here, wait until you leap out of this fishbowl, you're gonna be gasping for air.
Okay. I'll take this opportunity to weigh in on a couple of things.
Ali being in the paper? He's involved, and it seems like every time we do a story, he's somehow connected, and usually close to the forefront. FYI: We contacted Justin Riley about taking a photo, and he wouldn't do it. Maybe, if people would stand up for their convictions instead of hiding behind a thin veil of mysterious dissapearing acts, we would have other photos. But then again, I'm talking about accountability, which seems like a word that only "latte liberals" know anymore.
We did endorse Abbi. Who better to fit the job? She's been in the fray for sometime now, and I know her skills professionally, as I said in my column. You would be hard pressed to find a better candidate; she cares about the issues enough to walk away from a successful stint at the paper.
As for this being the right forum for a campaign, I would consider this: The challenge is to express yourself in a way that does not provide opportunity for someone to miscontrue what you say.
And also, to not take the bait unless you can.
Hey,
My name is Stephanie Klein and I am one of the presidential candidates. I don’t want to get involved in any name-calling or negativity. Whether or not this is an appropriate forum for such things, it is not my style as I’d rather approach the election in a positive way. I am writing in response to the person above who mentioned that some of the other candidates haven’t done much to state their opinions. In the second round of debates, Nathan Weiss and I are anxious to talk about what we want to do for the school. As it seems like a few people here are interested in the subject, I’d like to put a few things out there so that you have a basic idea of what we stand for.
First, club activity on this campus is abysmal right now. We want to turn that around by offering more funding for clubs and helping to bring together students with similar interests to help get these clubs going.
Another issue that most people have an interest in is parking. We want to work with public safety to provide more parking options for students who aren’t on campus enough for a full parking pass to be worthwhile. Why not sell Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday passes for about half the price? We’re also investigating the possibility of setting up a faculty supported fund to help students in need to pay for parking or bus fare.
Night students are also largely left out of campus activities, with less access to cheap movie and sporting event tickets as well as less chance to snatch up free pizza and other treats.
To top it all off, I’d love to help put together something we had at my previous school: Super Fun Day!!!! I know the name sounds silly but it was a good name since it was Super Fun! More details will be revealed later.
We have other ideas of course and are always looking for your input. Come to the next debate to hear more. Thanks!
Stephanie Klein
to the person who said ali gets too much coverage, I feel you brother or sister. the problem is you are wrong on multiple fronts. first, I know for sure he is not really a member of MRC. he is just friends with most of its members. Second, he was involved in probably the most controversial events of the last couple months. I have talked to him, and he said this last couple months has been really testing. So, if you want to be in the limelight so bad try getting into the middle a skandle.
FYI
"skandle" = ebonics for scandal
thanks for the spelling lesson! However, have you looked at the entire blog because there seems to be a few other mistakes? do you limit your criticism to spelling, or do you include punctuation? this is me speaking, but is this not informal writing? I have not capitalized much, and I probably made a lot of punctuation errors. there are others that make mistakes also. For instance, the blog that says "cuz." why didn't you correct that one... lastly, just the fact that you make a joke about "ebonics" shows what kind of person is behind your words. Furthermore, the fact that you racialize the mistake, and therefore dub it ebonics, is troubling. People like you are the reason why the students formed MRC. I would really like to hear you air your feelings in the open, and not hide in anonymity. You can do this easily: walk up to a minority and say as you have here, a spelling error equals ebonics. I just want to hear or is it here the or is it thee conversation.
Thanks,
P D
Just an update..."Crash" received the Oscar for Best Picture last night. And personally, I couldn't be more thrilled! I loved it. It touches on so many facets of diversity and discrimination; tears down some preconceived notions and builds others I never even thought about. For these reasons and more, it is a perfect film to show and discuss at WSUV. Unfortunately, there was a huge miscommunication between those involved...the only real victims are the people who would have participated and been able to grow from experiencing the film and talking about the issues.
I think the issues surrounding the screening of "Crash" are indicitive of how controversial race, sex and class differences still are today. It also shows that some people can't rise above personal issues to see what greater good could have come from showing this film.
A very wise professor once told me, "It only takes one." Even though showing "Crash" would have only affected a relatively small portion of the community, I think it could have been one important step (of many) toward freeing us from the small-mindedness that so often slows the progress of cultural integration.
Amen sister.
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