USG Agenda: Twofold, not two-ply

column last Thursday Daily Princetonian editorial

While McGinley prefaced his criticisms of the USG with the admission that he has "paid very little attention to the USG," he is most likely not alone in his misperception of what the USG is doing or where the USG is going. Indeed, we can hardly expect positive feelings about the USG after headlines such as "Hammocks, toilet paper top USG agenda" in the Monday, March 3 edition of this paper.

We recognize that students may not be aware of all the opportunities for involvement and information. Thus, we are trying to facilitate new modes of communication. We are improving our website, livening up school-wide e-mails, creating video commercials and are constantly looking for ways to both promote information about the USG and get more students involved. By taking into account all information instead of one article, we can all be on the same page.

As the ‘Prince' accurately reported, the USG discussed the "pet projects" of the U-councilors and senators at the Sunday, March 2 meeting. These include two-ply toilet paper, one of the top five non-academic concerns to students according to a recent e-mail based survey. To suggest that toilet paper is at the top of the USG's holistic focus, however, is to promote a gross misconception.

The USG's agenda is two-fold. We voice the interests of the student body and focus on improving campus life. We aim to accomplish both of these by listening to individual student concerns. As one can learn from the numerous ‘Prince' articles about the USG's efforts or from the list of projects now available at princetonusg.com, the USG is working on a wide range of issues from the big to the small. In addition, the USG held a presentation on Feb. 6 to outline some of these "big goals," as it did again in the Senate meeting last week. The Senate "Pet Project" or Pilot Project program - which has included PrincetonPlus, Taste of Prospect and USG DVD in the past - represents the "small" goals aimed at allowing everyone on USG to work toward an attainable goal, as per the Feb. 7 ‘Prince' article. Anyone who came to both the Feb. 24 and March 3 meetings or read the Prince coverage of both meetings would know that the USG is simultaneously fulfilling this dual purpose. Indeed, we do not expect McGinley or any other student to come to every Senate meeting, but we do hope that the student body stays attuned to what is going on, and that students feel welcome to come to our meetings when they do have a concern to share.

We agree that the concerns McGinley enumerated are integral. U-councilor Maria Salciccioli '09 and I have been working with Executive Vice President Burstein for the past two months to ensure Spelman Halls 7 and 8 will not be a part of Whitman unless the room draw numbers indicate Independent students will be minimally affected. The Pass/D/Fail policy is at the top of the agenda for academics chair Ben Lund '10. The USG Senate discussed the University's laudable sustainability goals and programs in January with President Tilghman.

We would also like to respond to the concerns of the ‘Prince' editorial board. U-councilor Sarah Hogarty '10 was on the planning committee of an Alcohol Coalition Committee (ACC) workshop. Undergraduate Life Committee chair Arthur Levy '10 has also been in direct conversation with ACC co-chair Agatha Offorjebe '09 to build a partnership between the USG and ACC. Vice President Mike Wang '10 is leading the senators in turning ideas frequently mentioned by USGs of years past into forward moving actions. Some senators are, for the first time, sitting on the ULC. Indeed, we are working on these issues, but now we hope we can work together to improve the communication divide between the USG and the student body.

The 2008 USG is also attempting to establish a precedent as an institution that serves as a channel of communication between the student body and the administration. This is a huge undertaking that necessitates open communication and trust. Since February, the USG has taken the initial steps of soliciting student input before setting goals and designating each U-councilor as a liaison to an administrative department, with whom they work on relevant pet projects. The expansion of the USG, including the creation of the Freshman-Sophomore Council, was a step toward more of the student body in USG decisions and promoting active coordination between the USG and the student body.

We encourage all students to attend open USG meetings, visit Princetonusg.com for updates, contact us directly and use the site's feedback channels. We thank Brandon and the ‘Prince' Editorial Board for their concerns, and we hope that the student body can work with the USG by turning concerns or great ideas into action to have the student voice be heard.

Josh Weinstein is the president of the USG. His column is an expression of the sentiments of the USG and was drafted by the USG Executive Committee. He can be reached at joshw@princeton.edu.