Weinstein ’09 expands USG

After creating more than 50 new USG positions, expanding the webmail quota by 824 MB and launching a new website during the first 25 days of his administration, USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 isn’t done planning.

When he took office as president, Weinstein had an agenda for the USG that included a “wide spectrum of interaction with the administration,” he said.

To kick off his term, Weinstein compiled about 600 ideas brainstormed by USG committees and by undergraduates as potential USG projects, focusing on ideas that are “feasible within the realm of this year,” USG vice president Mike Wang ’10 said. Ideas range from controlling dorm heaters to installing massage chairs in Frist Campus Center.

A new vision

Weinstein’s “new vision” for the USG included more substantial goals than former USG president Rob Biederman ’08’s administration, though Weinstein said that he wants to “continue with the Biederman tradition of fun.” He cited Biederman’s Easter egg hunt as an example.

Overall, Weinstein aspires for his administration to be “relevant, visible and fun,” he said.

Biederman said that Weinstein seems to be carrying out Biederman’s initiative to get more students involved in student government. “It’s always a good idea to enlarge the franchise,” he said.

“Josh has professionalized the USG,” Biederman said when asked about the greatest change he sees from his to Weinstein’s administration. “We got a ton done [during my term],” he said, “but it was more informal.”

Other members of the USG commended Weinstein’s efforts and leadership ability, citing his ability to represent students’ interests.

“He is very motivated, very dedicated to making the USG more relevant to the lives of students,” Wang said.

“I think that he’s a very effective leader,” Freshman-Sophomore Council and Student Projects Board member Brian Jeong ’11 said. “It seems like he has the ability of being able to respond to what comes up, the most important part of being a peer representative.”

Structural changes

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To facilitate the accomplishment of proposed projects, Weinstein’s administration has implemented sweeping changes to the USG’s structure. These changes fall under a new amendment to the USG constitution that revamps its framework, adding several positions and committees, including the Freshman-Sophomore Council, the Information Technology Committee and the Communications Council.

The amendment, Weinstein said, “will shape the way the USG as an organization functions, [as it supports] really using the resources and people that we have.”

Each of these committees will handle specific projects, allowing the USG to work on multiple ideas simultaneously. For example, Weinstein said, the social committee will plan events for Dean’s Date, Lawnparties and Black Box, as well as working to implement new events such as a field day similar to Cane Spree, a Guitar Hero tournament and a rap-off.

This explosion in size will render the USG “a lot more effective ... and more interactive,” Weinstein said. He explained that the expansion will increase effectiveness by making each position clearer and more focused.

The large number of positions introduced by the amendment “will allow the USG to be more inclusive this year,” Wang said.

The constitutional amendment also created a new system for managing USG elections, in which the campaign managers will have their own branch within the USG, separate from other committees.

“[This system is] more independent because their sole job is to manage elections,” communications director Andrew Malcolm ’09 said in an e-mail.

“Not only will this increase independence, but it will also allow the USG members who previously served as elections managers to devote more time to USG projects instead of managing elections,” Wang said. It seeks to remove any conflict of interest and was modeled after peer institutions, he added.

Large-scale projects

Several long-term projects are in the works, Weinstein said. “Big issues that seemed impossible in the past we are just doing,” Weinstein said. “That’s proof that we are capable of getting to the big issues.”

For starters, the USG is going to undertake a critical evaluation of Dillon, as “Dillon Gym is proving increasingly inadequate,” Wang said, especially in light of the University’s constant expansion.

In the short run, the USG is going to look at improving Stephens Fitness Center’s space and facilities, Weinstein said. In the long run, Weinstein hopes to raise adequate funds to enact intensive renovations, he said.

The USG aims to push the University’s 10-year plan for renovating the fitness center to finish five years earlier so students can make use of it as soon as possible, Wang said.

Extending the hours of popular campus study areas is also a priority for the USG. Next year, Weinstein said, they are aiming to keep Frist open 24 hours a day. Weinstein said that he also wants Firestone Library’s hours extended to 2 a.m. and for Chancellor Green to remain open on weekends.

“For the bigger projects,” he said, “we need loud student input.” The more student input the USG has and the more projects stem from actual student concerns, the more the issue will interest the administration, Weinstein explained. “The more people we have involved, the more credible the USG is on behalf of the students,” Wang said.