Margolin seeks closer community

As the new semester begins, Matt Margolin '05 is starting his term as USG president with great enthusiasm. Plans for the next year include the takeover and expansion of the Princeton Portal Project, continued campaigning for cheaper Pequod packets and building upon the University's tradition of community.

Margolin was elected by a landslide in December, winning more than twice as many votes as Jacqui Perlman '05 in the runoff elections.

Entering office with a mandate from the student body, Margolin's long range plans focus on making the USG a more visible presence in student life.

Princeton Portal Project

One of Margolin's first projects is taking over and revamping the Princeton Portal Project, http://find.princeton.edu/, founded by Matt Stack '04.

The portal, which went up last year, currently features an expanded student directory, a calendar of Street events and University news links.

Margolin plans to incorporate student group input to create an all-encompassing campus events calendar that would compete with the administration-run University home page.

"We want to broaden the idea of what 'find' means, and make it into a place where you can find out what's happening in the eating clubs, the residential colleges, the sports teams, the students groups, the black student union, the a capella groups."

Margolin said he will appoint a communications director to manage the portal. Though the position already exists in the USG constitution, Pettus Randall '04, the outgoing USG president had never appointed someone to the position.

Pequod

During his campaign, Margolin also pledged to reduce Pequod packet prices. However, he now says that prices will be reduced slowly, if ever.

"It's a rollercoaster," Margolin said. "It turned into an incredibly complex, messy situation. But the bright side is that the administration is thinking about it now."

Margolin said that packets' prices this semester are already slightly lower.

Student Life

Margolin said he also wants to improve student life by providing more opportunities for students to interact.

"People come to Princeton because it has a tight community," he said.

Margolin added that he intends to work for a 24-hour study space, an improved gym and more common spaces like those in Frist Campus Center and Murray-Dodge Hall.

Other projects will include funding dining hall meals for international students during breaks; opening a 24-hour OIT hotline; and encouraging professors to attend University sporting events by offering them complementary refreshments.

Margolin said one of his personal goals is to attend a game or match every weekend during the semester.

Before tackling these other projects, Margolin also needs to appoint new people to vacant USG posts.

Randall's Legacy

Randall said that he was confident Margolin had the skills to be an effective president.

"Something he's going to be great at is to create a team environment in the Senate," Randall said. "He's really a team-builder."

Randall also said Margolin will face many challenges during his term.

"One of the big [challenges] is coming to grips with the fact that the student government has no real authority to make administrative decisions," Randall added. "The USG has tons of resources, great people, but still the biggest shock is that there's only so much you can do."

Randall said that Margolin will have to spend time "fostering close ties with administrators and cultivating a relationship of trust with them."