Rob Biederman '08 spent the majority of his tenure as USG president making small improvements to student life. Unlike his predecessor, Biederman did not expend his political capital arguing with the administration over difficult issues such as the grade deflation policy. Instead, he set out to accomplish more modest goals and met almost all of them. On larger issues like grade deflation, he had the USG work behind the scenes to get things done.
Biederman worked to foster a greater variety and frequency of social activities on campus. He organized bus trips so students could cheer on their classmates at varsity sports games away from campus. He initiated events on Thursday and Saturday nights as alternatives to Prospect Avenue, including a new program at Murray-Dodge Cafe. There were of course plenty of smaller study breaks. In these and other ways, Biederman tangibly, if modestly, improved student life.
Nonetheless, Biederman's presidency was not without certain large accomplishments. Quietly and effectively, he fought behind the scenes to keep the price of birth control low. His efforts on this front culminated in the University subsidy announced last month. He organized an important survey on social stratification on campus. Within the USG, he organized its first-ever leadership retreat. He formed additional leadership positions and committees, including an information technology committee, as needed to fix various problems on campus. He has made the USG a more effective body.
Biederman succeeded in redefining the USG. He made it more responsive to students and more focused on improving student life. The one noticeable gap in Biederman's record is the slow pace of progress on making the University's social life more inclusive, which was a major issue in Biederman's USG presidential campaign. Nonetheless, even on this issue Biederman demonstrated a reassuring commitment. In sum, Biederman has been an engaged and mostly effective student leader, and it is hoped that his successor will bring the same success to addressing major outstanding issues in the University community.
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