2008 Woodie Awards
Milwaukee Party
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Name: Chris James Larson
Age: 25
Major: Finance, Political Science minor
School: School of Business Administration
Year in school: Senior
Hometown: Greenfield
Age: 20
Major: Accounting, Public Relations
School: School of Business Administration
Year in school: Sophomore
Hometown: Sauk Prairie
Why do you believe you should be elected SA president/vp?
In a word: accountability. We're here to work for students. We've shown we're already accountable by being active members of the community and active in student orgs since becoming students at UWM. We'll ensure that the principles the Student Association was set up to uphold will be restored. We also have amazing plans for students that we're very eager to see through.
In February, the Student Association considered recalling Alderman Mike D'Amato. What do you think of this decision, and would you work to recall the alderman if elected?
At the time we were excited, thinking this is huge and a great way to get the students and neighborhoods united. We think there was a lot of miscommunication and not enough people involved to make it happen. If elected, we would not spend all our time on any one issue, leaving other big student issues behind. We will instead push to work with him and set up monthly forums on campus to keep communication open with student government and the city. If he doesn't want to work with us, we will remember that when he's up for election.
What, if any, departments funded by the Senate Finance Committee would you fund less, fund more or consider eliminating?
Well, considering the integrity of the SFC was undermined by illegal line item vetoes by Russ Rueden after the senate passed the legislation, we would like to first promise that decisions made through a fair process will be kept that way. As for which groups get what funding, we would look at what each student group brings to the UWM experience and how they've spent their funds in the past and how they can justify what they are asking for. Basically, we'll follow SA law.
Last year, candidates for SA office promised to deliver textbook rentals, but so far no significant efforts have materialized. What would you do to lower the cost of textbooks?
For all the talk about it year after year, it's unfortunate that Student Association doesn't have any method in place for saving students money on their textbooks. This is a problem that can be solved by setting up an online book exchange for students at UWM similar to the way eBay works, but just for UWM students. You save money when buying, you get more back when selling and you don't have to pay shipment because we're all at the same school. Problem solved.
Do you believe diversity on campus has improved since last year, and what would you do, if elected, to improve minority representation?
Worse. SA had no Multicultural Issues director for four months. For a campus committed to diversity, that should never have happened. For next year, we will actively recruit a multicultural director from people with a history in multicultural development. We will talk to BSU, Africology club, LSU, MSU, COFI, LGBTQ and other cultural organizations to find the most talented individual who is ready to turn around the diversity problem we have on campus. In addition, SA will work with multicultural organizations and all others throughout the year to ensure that each is represented by the people in Student Association.
It was revealed earlier this year that B.O.S.S. ran $225,000 in debt. What do you purpose to do in response to this problem?
B.O.S.S. is something students need and we would work to keep it running while looking for ways to keep costs low. Student safety doesn't have a price tag. They're here to keep the students safe.
Do you believe differential tuition should be eliminated, expanded or kept the same, and why?
With differential tuition being reviewed next year, it would be something that would have to be looked at on a school-by-school basis to ensure that they are accountable for the additional fees. We will look to hear as many voices on differential tuition as possible by asking students, administrators and professors. Not until then can we say with certainty the direction differential tuition will take.
What do you feel has been the biggest failure of the Student Association this year, and what would you have done differently?
Open communication. Too many times there are only two or three people involved with projects and secrets were kept. The president and chief of staff's doors should be open to anyone because anything we work on is or should be student friendly and be heard by all. It was nearly impossible this last year to get a call returned by either the president, Russ, or chief of staff, Sam. The failure of not having open communication led to a complete staff turnover with many positions not being filled for months. The other big failure was the loss of Student Association's credibility when there hasn't been a full court for months and appeals have gone unheard. There is no excuse for this considering there were no large projects in the works after D'Amato was given up on.
What do you think has been the biggest success of the Student Association this year, and how would you continue to make that program successful?
Door hangers for the neighborhood. Uniting the students on keeping the division of student affairs with 600 signatures on the first day after the chancellor was toying with the idea of cutting it.
The Kenilworth Building will open in 2006, but housing is still slim. What would you do to address the housing problems on campus?
We would push to purchase Colombia for additional housing. We would also make students aware of the University Housing offices and their function to help students find housing.
Do you support having a 24-hour Union or library, and if so, how would you propose paying for the increased costs?
No, a 24-hour Union and library would add an additional financial burden to students who pay enough to go here already. If there is a demand for later hours, we would suggest later hours for the library during finals week.
SA has failed to have a functioning student court for most of the year. How would you propose improving the court?
We would appoint the most qualified individual to the court as quickly as possible so that the court can function. That should have been done months ago and if it hasn't happened by the time we're in office, we'll fix it in the first month. This goes along with our plan of filling positions with the most qualified individuals when those positions open up.
The U-Park lots along the lakefront are in danger of being lost. What would you do to address the U-Park problems and parking on campus in general?
We would stay in close contact with Claude Schuttey who has been dealing with the situation for a while. Annya is in the process of getting in touch with Claude to look at what our best options are.
Neighborhood relations have been in the news recently with the state assembly and senate passage of RPP. What would you do, specifically, to help strengthen the relationship between students and the neighbors?
SA has been absent for most of the year at neighborhood meetings. We (or a cabinet member) will start attending each community meeting in the area to show that we care. We would do door hangers for students at the beginning of the fall semester reminding them that they might have permanent residential neighbors. Annya is also looking into holding open forums with the alderman to discuss problems in our area and what can be done to fix them.
In what ways, specifically, would you help increase school spirit?
We'll be looking to set up a calendar where all UWM teams can post upcoming games (student orgs can also post events). This is a big step in getting the word to students about what our teams are up to. When really big games come up, like March Madness, we'll work to set up discount trips so interested fans can see the Panthers when they go even further next year.
Would you push for online voting for next year's election?
UWM's election turnout is usually around 10%. Anything that can improve that we'd be in favor of because it will increase student's awareness of what UWM can do for them. The real question about online voting is cost and whether there would be voter fraud. Last time I checked, it's still quite pricey. When that price drops, we should do it.