Weinberg ’11 passes on run for USG president

Former USG presidents Rob Biederman ’08 and Josh Weinstein ’09 both served as vice president before assuming the role of president, but Weinstein’s vice president — Mike Wang ’10 — chose not to run for the post last year, and he instead spent the spring 2009 semester abroad.

“Running for president shouldn’t be considered a tradition as much as it is an individual choice,” Wang said. “As long as one leaves the organization in good hands, then all other options are on the table.”

Wang added that he thought that not all campus issues could be best approached by the USG president, citing as an example his creation of the International Food Co-op.

“In not running for president, Weinberg probably did think about what was most worthwhile to him, what issues he cared about and what he wanted to spend his time learning and doing,” Wang explained.

Weinberg echoed Wang’s sentiment, noting that upon review of USG historical documents dating back to 1996, the USG vice president became the next president in “approximately half the cases.”

“While the USG VP often runs for president, the data show that this is not a hard and fast rule,” Weinberg said. “I plan to devote more of my time to other activities on campus, especially the [Alcohol Coalition Committee], but will continue to be a large contributor to the USG’s agenda.”

Weinberg served as executive secretary under Weinstein before becoming vice president this year. He is running uncontested to be the chair of the Undergraduate Life Committee (ULC).

The University’s website states that the ULC “handles all aspects of campus living, from alcohol education to housing and minority life.” It also “serves as a clearinghouse for student life policy issues.”

“The ULC is a powerful and efficient committee and is somewhat unique among USG executive positions (along with academics) because of the established relationships with members of the administration and faculty,” Weinberg explained in an e-mail.

He noted that a factor in his decision to run for ULC chair was the pending appointment of a new vice president for campus life.

“I intend to foster a strong relationship with the new vice president on the behalf of the USG and the student body at large,” Weinberg said.

The four students running for USG president are Jack Altman ’11, Brian Edwards ’11, Jack Lindeman ’11 and Michael Yaroshefsky ’12.