From one president to another

Dear Josh,

When I thought about running for U-Council as a freshman, former Class of 2007 president Jim Williamson told me: "Princeton is an exciting, fun place, with a million different things to do. You can have an incredible experience making friends, taking random classes and participating in activities ... unless you get involved in student government." I ignored what Jim said that day, and I think it was for the better.

Over the past year, we've directly engaged an unprecedented number of students. This is our greatest accomplishment. We changed the basic premise around which the USG operates; in the past, USG officers worked on what they deemed important. This semester, we began by asking students what they cared about. When we got answers, we set to work right away to fix it. We have accomplished more than I'd previously believed was possible, and you can as well.

We opened a DVD rental program in Frist; got unfair grades retroactively changed; got the price of birth control lowered again; convinced the administration to let us use student charge at Labyrinth books; sent rabid fans to away games in Massachusetts, Maryland and Queens; gave away more Bent Spoon cupcakes and hot chocolate than I'm sure UHS would have liked; and, most critically, fought on the student body's behalf for a range of academic, campus life and community issues too broad to list here.

Along the way, we had a great time. I'll never forget chasing after lost (and late) bus drivers on Faculty Road or giving students a free quarter-pound of candy at Frist on a spontaneous whim. You'll need to be ready to focus on a broad range of issues from the serious to the ridiculous; I once segued directly from a intense discussion with top administrators to spray-painting a Technicolor paper-mache donkey to look like a blue bulldog pinata to representing the students at a University fundraising event.

We'll continue working through the last minutes of our terms on the problems discussed below. Beginning Feb. 4, you as my successor must continue what we've started on the following issues:

1. Self-segregation remains a serious problem on campus. The climate has improved significantly this year due to our programs like Murray Dodge Thursdays and increased intergroup collaboration, but students from different backgrounds still do not mix seamlessly at Princeton. Needless to say, this is a complex, deep-seated problem. Worse, it has no clearcut solutions. You will face the challenge of continuing our efforts to move to a fully integrated campus.

2. Dillon Gym must be expanded as soon as possible. Though we'll spend our final two months working aggressively with the administration to expedite the expansion schedule, this is an issue that cannot be ignored. No health club in the world could get away with this low level of service.

3. The RCA alcohol guidelines must continue to be monitored and discussed. Despite its best intentions, the administration may very well have constructed a policy that puts students at greater risk than at present. You will need to continue the discussions that I have begun with Deans of Undergraduate Students Kathleen Deignan and Hilary Herbold to ensure that the policy makes students safer, not less safe, and does nothing to diminish the critical RCA/advisee relationship.

4. Grade deflation remains a beast that must be controlled, if not killed. Over the past year, we made great progress in improving implementation of a policy that I'm convinced is fundamentally flawed. You must not forget about grade deflation, and you must continue fighting to ensure the policy is applied fairly and correctly. We got grades changed; you can too.

5. Continue to grow the productive relationships we've developed with administrators. Only with relationships based on trust, mutual understanding and a legitimate sense of shared purpose can our goals (and consequently those of students) be reached. Hateful rhetoric and shameless point-scoring aren't productive — if you approach an administrator as a person, he or she is likely to return the favor.

6. Finally, and most importantly, the new USG must continue engaging individual students in a direct and encouraging way. Ask the students what they want you to do. Ask them what they think about every issue. Ask them to get involved. The thoughts in the USG president's head are only as good as the last 10 conversations he's had with his peers; fail to listen to the average, uninvolved student, and you will sow the seeds of your own irrelevance.

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Remember: The VP isn't your secretary, the USG is supposed to be fun, your classmates aren't "constituents," the administration isn't "the opposition," coffee isn't a substitute for sleep, and you shouldn't have to pencil in your parents to discuss Thanksgiving plans.

Best of luck. Oh, and one last thing: Read (thoughtfully!) and respond to every single email.

— Rob Rob Biederman is an economics major from Chappaqua, N.Y., and the outgoing USG president. He can be reached at rdb@princeton.edu.