(Illustration by Brittany Meyer | Student Life)

Student Union President Jeff Nelson, in a school-wide e-mail, announced SU’s intention to raise $20,000 by next Monday for the aid organization Partners in Health. Nelson has already pledged $500 from the budget and has further promised an additional dollar for every $40 of student contribution. Students interested in contributing should visit  http://su.wustl.edu/help-haiti for more information. We should treat this $20,000 as a mere baseline, and work as a community to surpass it.

While the list of what Haiti needs is long, the best thing you can give now is money. An alternative to the SU fundraiser is donating money independently via wireless cell phone text messages—a way to help ensure that help gets to Haiti as soon as possible. This new method of donating has raised unprecedented amounts of money and has proven to be an effective way for college students. Below is a list  (vetted by cnn.com and charitiynav

igator.org available online) of charities and aid services’ text-to-aid numbers. If you have your phone with you, please take it out and give what you can.

We applaud this innovative use of technology that allows millions more to contribute to Haiti than otherwise would, but we urge that you extend your interest beyond the mere dollars you donate with your phone. Haiti was a country deserving of aid well before the earthquake and will continue to be, well after its plight no longer cycles through our national media outlets. Here is a list of charitable organizations to which you can donate:

Red Cross: Text HAITI to 90999 ($10 donation)
UNICEF: Text UNICEF to 20222 ($10 donation)
Clinton Foundation: Text HAITI to 20222 ($10 donation)
Yéle Haiti: Text YELE to 501501 ($5 donation)
United Way: Text HAITI to 864833 ($5 donation)
International Medical Corps: Text HAITI to 85944 ($10 donation)
World Food Program: Text: FRIENDS to 90999 ($5 donation)
UN Foundation: Text CERF to 90999 ($5 donation)
Compassion International: Text DISASTER to 85944 ($10 donation)
International Rescue Committee Text: HAITI to 25383 ($5 donation)
The Salvation Army: Text HAITI to 52000 ($10 donation)
Cure International: Text CURE to 85944 ($10 donation)

A Metrolink train pulls in to the Big Bend station in late August. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The St. Louis County government said on Monday that a transit sales tax measure similar to Proposition M could appear on the county ballot this April, as a coalition of transit advocates ramps up its campaign efforts.

The coalition, which includes Washington University, seeks voters’ approval of a ballot measure that would boost funding for Metro operations and future expansion, and enable the agency to restore all of the transit service it slashed in March. University officials said on Monday that the school would fully support such a ballot measure.

“We’re going to be supportive of any initiative that improves mass transit in our region,” Assistant to the Chancellor Rob Wild said.

The measure would be a retry of sorts, as last November county voters rejected Proposition M, a half-cent sales tax increase that supporters said would have prevented the cutbacks.

The University has made the largest contribution to the campaign so far, giving $25,000, the same amount the school gave to last year’s campaign for Proposition M, which the University and Student Union Senate both endorsed. University trustee Sam Fox, a Republican fundraiser who served as the U.S. ambassador to Belgium in the Bush administration, has given $10,000.

County officials have not made any final decisions on a ballot measure, including when it would appear, said Mac Scott, spokesman for County Executive Charlie Dooley. Scott added that officials have been actively discussing the idea and that Dooley fully backs another sales tax measure.

“He’s entirely supportive of it,” Scott said. “We understand that public transportation is vital to the growth and prosperity of this region.”

State and federal funding over the summer helped Metro restore over half of its slashed service in August. But because the money runs out in May, Scott said April would be the most opportune time for the election.

What is also unclear is whether county voters would support another ballot measure after they rejected Proposition M. Proponents are emphasizing better organization and a more grassroots approach this time, largely because the election would be in an off year.

“One of the keys is making sure that your supporters are registered to vote and actually show up in an April election, when Barack Obama is not on the ballot,” said Tom Shrout, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit.

Details on how the campaign would play out are still scarce. Rose Windmiller, director of state relations and local government affairs at the University, said local organizations and advocates will meet at the University on Thursday to hash out campaign plans and strategies.

Last November’s Proposition M campaign saw several University officials and SU members campaign on campus, asking students to support the measure. Students voted overwhelmingly in favor of the measure, which failed by 3 percent.

Senior Melissa Legge, a supporter of boosting Metro funding, said the University’s decision to contribute to this year’s campaign “makes a lot of sense.”

“Wash. U. clearly benefits a lot from public transportation we have,” said Legge, a member of Green Action. “We have five MetroLink stops on four campuses and several bus lines.”

It also makes sense, Legge said, because “public transportation is a pretty big transportation part of the [University’s] sustainability plan.”

Many students, including Legge, have already expressed support of any ballot measure that were to appear in April. 2008 graduate Liz Kramer and several current and former students were among those who threw a prom on MetroLink trains on Oct. 23 in celebration of the St. Louis transit system. Although the event was not meant to be political, student attendees still hoped that it would indirectly encourage people to vote for another sales tax measure.

The current Student Union administration has said that supporting Metro is one of its priorities. Student Body President Jeff Nelson said SU has not endorsed putting another sales tax on the ballot but would consider doing so.

“I think we’d have discussions about it. It’d be debated,” Nelson said. “I think a lot of people would be in favor of it.”

Transit advocates have said that a sales tax increase would likely be Metro’s only hope getting the funding it needs to restore full transit service. If another ballot measure were to fail, more extensive service cuts could be needed, they have said.

The chances of another dose of state money have faded, as lawmakers must figure out how to close a general revenue gap of at least 10 percent in the next legislative session. State Rep. Rick Stream, R-Kirkwood, vice chairman of the Missouri House Budget Committee, said in October that declining tax revenues are to blame and that new funding items have been all but ruled out.

To go on the ballot, a sales tax measure would have to go through County Council. Councilwoman Barbara Fraser, D-University City, said a bill would pass the council handily, though she did not know when one would be introduced.

Nate Ferguson assumed the role of vice president of administration for Student Union on Wednesday following confirmation by Senate and Treasury. He has stepped down from his prior role as vice president of programming. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

Junior Nate Ferguson, former vice president of programming of Student Union, was confirmed as vice president of administration by both SU Treasury and Senate this week.

Ferguson promised to rework the internal processes in SU by increasing communication within the body and communicating with student governments in peer universities. Ferguson’s appointment comes after former Vice President of Administration Trevor Mattea’s resignation in October.

The position is focused on internal processes in SU. The vice president of administration helps to maintain the office and foster communication among the various bodies involved with SU.

“I really did enjoy my role as vice president of programming, but now I see my role as administration because that’s more where I’m needed right now,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson was selected by other executives from a short list of two candidates, both of whom were involved with SU.

Ferguson sees himself as qualified for the position because of his previous experience with SU. One project he has already started is working with senators and other SU members to gather feedback on SU as a whole. This project aims at improving SU retention. Ferguson also wants to have an internal newsletter and be in contact with other student governments to gather ideas for projects and ways to implement them.

Although there will be a new selection process for a vice president of programming, Ferguson said he thinks that the transition will be smooth because of his continued presence in the body.

“I’ll be there to make sure that they are transitioned well, [and that] any questions they have are answered,” Ferguson said.

With this new appointment, only two of the original five executives are still holding their elected positions.

Ferguson said he does not think his shift to a different position will affect the administration’s accountability.

“I see it more as I’m doing what I feel is best for the student body and SU as a whole,” Ferguson said. “I don’t see it as losing accountability because we’ve gone through this with other people, unfortunately.”

Senior Jeff Nelson, SU president, said he does not see this as a problem either.

“[We] took into account the fact that we all ran as a team…Nate specifically ran as programming but it was within the parameters of that vision…he’s still working on that same platform, just in a new capacity,” Nelson said. “People vote for ideas, not people performing mundane tasks.”

The position of vice president of programming was the only one that was contested in the last election. Ferguson was asked to fill that position on the Montana slate because of his two-year experience as president of his class council.

The duties of the vice president of programming are primarily running the SU pre-Orientation program and planning SUp All Night, an activity at the beginning of the school year.

The new vice president of programming, unlike that of administration, may come from outside SU.

Trevor Mattea, SU vice president of administration, will be resigning in two weeks. (Courtesy of the Montana Administration)

Student Union Vice President of Administration Trevor Mattea announced Monday that he would be resigning from his post in two weeks. His resignation is the second for the Montana administration, raising questions about Student Union’s internal efficacy.

A member of Treasury resigned late Tuesday night and seven SU senators have also stepped down this term.

“It’s a wake up call; we really need to transform Student Union,” SU President Jeff Nelson said of the Senate and Executive  Council resignations.

Mattea, a junior, said he resigned because he was not satisfied with some of the aspects of how SU operates.

“I fear that sometimes things are done because they’ve been done before and there’s a hesitancy, or people are slow, to step back and reassess things and think outside the box,” Mattea said.

An SU press release stated that Mattea was frustrated with the bureaucratic structure of his position and his inability to make a “noticeable difference in the lives of students.”

Second executive resignation in two months

The resignation comes less than two months after Courtney Reeves, former vice president of public relations, resigned for “personal reasons.”

Mattea said he views his resignation as different from Reeves’.

“[For me,] it wasn’t an issue of time and having enough time, it was more of an issue of, ‘How am I spending my time?’ Is it something where I feel like I’m having a worthwhile participation, and is it making me happy? More and more, the answers to those questions were ‘no.’”

Jill Carnaghi, associate vice chancellor for students and dean of campus life, agreed that the executives stepped down for their own reasons.

“I think each of them made the tough call for themselves,” Carnaghi said. “The most difficult thing can be, ‘I can’t complete what I said I was going to do.’”

While Nelson acknowledged that many students do not understand the full extend of their responsibilities until they actually hold that position, he said his focus is on the student body rather than on the students who work within student union.

“My focus is not so much on the internal specifics,” Nelson said. “I’m more concerned with the results for students.”

Questions about the VP of administration position, SU structure

As for the position of vice president of administration, which Nelson held last year, Nelson said he understands Mattea’s frustrations with the job.

“It’s very internal-focused, and it’s hard to see how you make an impact on students,” Nelson said.

The position of vice president of administration involves the oversight of internal aspects of SU and many of the day-to-day issues of student government, such as rules, office supplies and room reservation.

“Perhaps I misunderstood exactly what the position was or what the day-to-day job was. I wasn’t aware of how the things I was obligated to do—the day-to-day office stuff—was going to bog me down from doing my own projects,” Mattea said. “Its hard to have the enthusiasm to do the things you really want to do once you complete the things you’re obligated to do.”

Senior Chase Sackett, speaker of SU Senate, said he thought Mattea’s resignation was not a reflection on the structure of Student Union but rather on the position of vice president of administration itself.

“I don’t think it’s an SU thing. I think it’s more about what that position is. I can completely understand why Trevor would be unsatisfied with that position,” Sackett said. Sackett served as a senator while Mattea was the chair of the Campus Services Committee.

Junior Jack Novick, an SU Senator, said the resignation will not change his thinking on student government.

“It doesn’t really make me feel any differently about Student Union,” Novick said. “It’s more moving on the same path we’ve been on, moving toward changing from a bureaucratic self-serving organization to more outreach and more activism.”

The resignations have caused SU members to reconsider how students understand SU.

Nelson said that  the executive branch is looking to create an “inside SU” program that hosts events highlighting each position in the body. This would increase awareness about Student Union and its functions and educate those planning to run. Another suggestion has been to more explicitly outline each executive position in the constitution so that candidates are more aware of what they are getting into.

“I’d like to see Student Union be realistic about what it can do and give less emphasis to the idea that we’re changing school policy because that’s not usually the case,” Mattea said. “I won’t say that students or Student Union reps aren’t involved in some decisions because they are, but to say that’s most of what we do would be inaccurate.”

With additional reporting by Perry Stein

Her recent editorial contains a wealth of thinly-veiled personal attacks, but lacked direction or a purpose. I took offense to the article for two reasons: one, her “arguments” belittle the efforts of certain students around campus, and two—a secondary but still strong point—there did not seem to be a definitive reason for writing the article; it was poorly planned and even more poorly constructed. Let’s start with the Nelson-Obama parallel.

Samborn spends four paragraphs quoting Nelson’s “Campus State of the Union” address and classifying the language as something that could be “use[d] on the floor of the U.S. House,” only to then to make a concession that undermines her point: “It is true that Nelson did not ever quote Obama.” So why the emphasis on a parallel? Could Samborn have compared the workings of Student Union and other student governments to that of the larger U.S. government? There have been many famous political orators before Obama, and there have been many campus State of the Union addresses before Nelson. In fact, the State of the Union is a long-standing tradition in SU history.  I hardly think a student who did not fall into the apparently small “well-spoken, highly educated black male” demographic would have been compared so strongly to our nation’s leader.

“Pretending to be President Obama?” is a personal attack—in fact, when you put up negatively charged words such as “pretending,” “playacting,” and “charade” against Nelson’s genuine desire to better our undergraduate experience—the article borders on libel.

But that point may be a personal one. For those of you who found the article as directionless and pointless as I did, here is a summary in 42 words: Jeff Nelson is pretending to be Barack Obama (but he isn’t); EST pretends to be doctors (but they aren’t); tutors pretend to be real teachers (which they are not); I pretend to be a real writer (which I most definitely am not). If Ms. Samborn wanted to muse over her non-future as a writer, fine—don’t do it in print. If Ms. Samborn wanted to disparage the efforts of several groups on campus, fine—just don’t do it in print. My problem is that Ms. Samborn takes obvious “shots” at other students, but then attempts to cover her hostile views.

Seeing as how the actions of other students are the occasion for her article, it is strange that Samborn has not committed to a position on the issue of our campus involvements. In order of appearance: “we are all engaged in our own moments of playacting,” then, “Our theatrical pursuits are not harmful or even futile,” then, “the time and effort we spend on campus might be better spent on problems affecting the real world,” and lastly, “I cannot condemn Nelson for his charade […] college should be our time to practice.” Well, Ms. Samborn, which is it? Are we wasting our time, and the time of others? Or are we doing some good?  Does the fact that this campus is our world factor in anywhere?

Ms. Samborn also leaves out a few pertinent points. First, Jeff Nelson has no intentions to become President, and if he did, he wouldn’t want to be Barack Obama. He’d be Jeff Nelson. Second, there is a difference between tutoring (which no one considers “teaching” in the traditional sense) and student-teaching, and student teachers are trained to handle a classroom alone.  A quick visit to the EST website informed me that “All medics are certified in CPR, and at least two of the three medics on a duty crew are Missouri licensed Emergency Medical Technicians;” that is, students on EST do not pretend to be surgeons or general physicians. They are a team of medically trained persons who deal with medical emergencies. Unfortunately, I cannot defend the claim that a Student Life writer is not a real writer—that seemed to be the only nugget of truth in the article.

I believe my last point, however, is most important. It is not okay to belittle the efforts of another student or student group. Ms. Samborn singled out Jeff Nelson and EST, saying that their efforts—“parochial concerns”—were unimportant because we are in college. I happen to think that a more intuitive e-mail system, a comprehensive school calendar, more efficient programming, shorter food lines, more money for student groups, and 24/7 emergency care in three to five minutes is very important.  But maybe I’m the one who has it all wrong.

His recent campus address was a wealth of presidential parallels. Not only was it named the “Campus State of the Union,” its post on the Student Union Web site actually included a picture of the real State of the Union. Even better, Nelson’s speech itself contained many lines reminiscent of Obama’s trademark oratory.

Consider Nelson’s opening assessment that despite the weak economy, “the state of our student body is strong—stronger than at any other point during my time at Wash. U.” In his own state of the union address, President Obama delivered a comparable opening, declaring that out of the ruin of the economic downturn, “the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.”

Nelson continued the presidential rhetoric with his plea that “we continue to stand unified,” his reference to his “ambitious agenda” and his promise to make this “the most open, transparent and accessible administration in recent Student Union history.” If Nelson just eliminates the words “Student Union,” he can probably recycle those phrases for later use on the floor of the U.S. House.

If only Nelson had his own Shepard Fairy portrait and Portuguese water dog. Oh, and if only he was talking about health care and economic policy instead of school calendar improvements and the problem of over-programming.

It is true that Nelson did not ever quote Obama in his speech or even make gratuitous references to hope and change. Nevertheless, he was certainly trying to act as presidential as is possible for someone discussing parochial concerns like campus food.

Yet I can hardly fault Nelson for engaging in a crime of which I too am guilty. In fact, I suspect all Wash. U. students are at least slightly complicit. As college students, we are all engaged in our own moments of playacting.

We playact as fully trained doctors by joining EST. We mimic real teachers by tutoring elementary school students in the afternoons. Nelson imitates our country’s president, and I pretend to be an op-ed columnist with real influence and readership.

Our theatrical pursuits are not harmful or even futile; on the contrary, these invented roles often have real-world value. EST provides an incredibly useful medical service for Wash. U. students. Tutoring helps struggling students succeed. Nelson plays a truly important role in improving our undergraduate experience. As for me, well, at least my parents like my columns.

But I think that the true value of these pursuits often lies in the future. Our playacting is primarily a way of training for our roles in the real world. EST members grow up to be doctors, tutors become teachers, and Jeff Nelson will eventually run for president. I’d add that I might grow up to be a real columnist, but given the state of journalism, I think I’m more likely to end up living in a cardboard box and using newspapers as heating fuel.

I often wonder whether the time and effort we spend on campus concerns might be better spent on problems affecting the real world. I think that even as college students, we have a great deal to offer to the broader community. Yet perhaps the world is often better served by our playacting.

Without years of medical training, EST members are not qualified to serve as doctors. College-age tutors are often not quite ready to command a classroom. Jeff Nelson has a few more years before he’ll meet the constitutional qualifications needed to run for president. And while I don’t think there are a lot of specific requirements for becoming a professional columnist, the fact remains that The New York Times will not soon hire me.

So I cannot condemn Nelson for his charade. After all, his chances of becoming president are probably better than my journalistic job prospects.

Besides, college should be our time to practice, to pretend to be useful and important, in the hope that one day we actually will be. If we are lucky, we can accomplish some good along the way. Mostly, however, we can enjoy our small stage while it lasts and prepare for our real debut.

Tomorrow, Student Union (SU) is scheduled to launch The Link, a new interactive online calendar accessible to all members of the campus community.

According a press release issued today by SU, The Link will serve as “an online platform where all student groups and campus departments can organize, manage, and promote their events in a centralized location.”

Students will have the ability to manage their own calendars by logging in with their WUSTL Key. They will also be able to download their personal calendars onto their computers.

The Link’s software can be used to register groups electronically, schedule meetings and events, upload minutes and media files, perform elections, maintain organization budgets, maintain roster lists and file requests for space reservations.

“The Link will be a resource for all students,” the press release quoted SU President Jeff Nelson as saying. “We hope that The Link can cut down on over and repetitive programming. This doesn’t mean that we want to see less programming, just more effective programming.”

The Link is not the University’s first online calendar for student group events.

“Previously, Spark was the calendar used and that didn’t seem to be serving its goals as we wanted it to,” sophomore Morgan DeBaun, SU’s vice president of public affairs, said. “Jeff Nelson and other members of SU decided we had to look for a new campus events calendar.”

The Web site is contracted to Symplicity, a company the University has been working with for the past summer to tailor an online calendar to fit the needs of the University community.

While the new Web site represents a dramatic change from the previous online calendar, DeBaun is confident that the relaunched version of The Link will be well-received.

“I think the transition will be smooth,” she said. “When student groups are booking their locations, there is a one step process to upload events. It will be beneficial for students as well as people in the administration. Communication will be easier.”

DeBaun expects members of campus groups to respond positively as well.

“I think students will be pleased,” she said. “I think they will be excited that they will have one place to see what is going on around the campus. I think it will make programming easier and that they will be happy with this change.”

Students can access The Link by logging into its Web site at thelink.wustl.edu by entering their WUSTL Key. For additional information about how to use The Link and for a detailed tutorial, visit su.wustl.edu.

Check back throughout the week for more updates on The Link.

Student Union (SU) Treasury voted unanimously to confirm DeBaun on Tuesday night. The nomination, announced by Student Union President Jeff Nelson in an e-mail last weekend, now awaits confirmation by the Senate, which will take up the matter Wednesday night.

DeBaun said she is very excited to be a part of the Montana slate, which she believes “has really made strides forward to renew student activism on campus,” and she emphasized her commitment to improving communication between students and SU.

“My main goal is to increase the dialogue with the student body, really getting student inputs and making sure their voice is heard by their administration,” she said.

DeBaun recognized the weight of her new responsibilities, but she said she hopes to ease the transition by working closely with the current SU executive board and “making sure that we are all on the same page and supporting each other.”

“It’s a big position; it has a lot of responsibilities for a sophomore,” DeBaun said. “I’m going to take it one step at a time. I am fully committed to the position and representing the student body to the administration.”

Nelson praised DeBaun for her creativity and the new ideas she will bring to her position.

“Morgan has a lot of innovative ideas that Student Union hasn’t done before, and she has already been practicing those ideas,” he said. “She has a concrete vision to promote Student Union and also to promote things that different students and student groups are doing on campus.”

The executive members nominated DeBaun after interviewing several other candidates who applied.

“We deliberated for quite some time based on the criteria that we were judging on. We thought that Morgan was the person who could step into this position and have an impact immediately,” Nelson said.

Nelson said he believes that most members of SU are holding back from judging the nomination for now and waiting to see what the Treasury and Senate decide.

“People are familiar with Morgan from her work as sophomore class president, and people are eager to hear what our vision is and exactly how she plans to move this position forward,” Nelson said.
DeBaun withdrew from her position as president for the class of 2012. The new class president will be confirmed next week.

Reeves said she was unable to fulfill her duties due to health and personal concerns.

With additional reporting by Perry Stein and Michelle Merlin.