Ratner Platform

8/14/2019 Ratner Platform

1/14

Stephen Ratner for SGA PresidentMy vision for the Student Government Association

Creative Resources , Creat ive Solut ions


2/14

Table of ContentsLetter of Declaration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Qualif ications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4What I ve Done . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5My Vision for Emory. . . . . . . . . . . .7/8


3/14

ForEmory,ByEmory 3

To the Emory community,

In these difficult economic times, it is increasingly important that your Student Government Association

not fold in the face of budget cuts, but rather become more creative to continue to provide additional

resources to each one of you and your educational pursuits. While finances may be tight across theUniversity, the competitiveness outside of Emory is only increasing and the need to equip Emory students

with top-of-the-line tools for success is undeniably necessary for each student, division, and the future ofthe University.

With that said, I humbly and excitedly declare my candidacy to be your next SGA President. In this role,

more than anything, I will look to find ways to enlist untapped, creative resources on campus to strivetowards creative solutions to equip Emory students with what they need to maintain the competitiveedge. In this moment, with the economy posing a threat to our futures, I intend to place the entire

support and resources of the organization behind each and every individual student in a concrete waythat will directly affect your lives daily.

For those of you further interested, the rest of this program will outline what I have done as a University-wide representative to forward these goals and what I plan to do to expand on these student-orientedinitiatives.

Sincerely,

Stephen Ratner


4/14

QUALIF ICATIONS

Fal l 2008 Spr ing 2009 Freshmen Representative, Student Government Association Member, SGA Student Life Committee Member, Food Advisory Committee @ Emory (FACE)

Spring 2009 Spr ing 2010 Representative At-Large (University-wide), Student Government Association Chair, SGA Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate/Undergraduate Mentoring Program Member, SGA Campus Services Committee Member, University Taskforce on Undergraduate Admissions Alternate Member, Committee on Academic Standards

Other qual if icat ions: University-wide constituency Endorsed for University-wide office last year by The Emory Wheel, College Republicans of

Emory, Young Democrats of Emory

Working relationships with administration across Universityo EPD, Vice Provosts, President Wagner, Office of Undergrad. Education, Career Center,

etc.

Worked with plethora of student organizationso College Council, Graduate Senate, Young Democrats, College Republicans, etc.o Through SGA Building Bridges Program: The Emory Wheel, Black Star America,


5/14

ForEmory,ByEmory 5

WHAT I VE DONESGA Graduate/Undergraduate Mentoring Program

Founded program with Career Center and Graduate Senate Bridged a divide between graduate and undergraduate divisions Enlisted the untapped resource of graduate students to advise undergraduates on

career, educational, and life pursuits for an affordable (free) price based ongraduate tract

CONCRETE TAKEAWAY: Over 225 graduate and undergraduatestudents from al l divis ions across Universi ty involved in this program that,moving forward, wil l al low graduate students to bestow upon theirundergraduate counterparts the knowledge necessary to succeed in post-graduation l i fe . An affordable and creative supplemental resource forEmory advising.Creation and expansion of peer-to-peer advising within the College

Worked with College Council to meet with several college department heads inan effort to enlist the untapped resource of undergraduate students as peer

advisors

Peer advisors will help students choose classes and increase compatibility thusincreasing the value of our degree and educational experience Looking to expand this program University-wide Already expanded to two departments and more in the process: Economics and

Political ScienceCONCRETE TAKEAWAY: College students wil l have an addit ionalresource to ensure that the classes they are looking into are compatiblewith their educational style and pursuits , a move that uses avai lableresources in a cost-effect ive way and had direct , posit ive effects on thevalue of our degrees.-Economics and Pol i t ical Science Departments on board-Other departments are in the process of implementation-All department chair meeting has been attended and moremeetings are scheduled


6/14

Monetary Code Amendment of 2010 Worked with Vice President of Finance and Attorney General tooverhaul the Monetary Code

CONCRETE TAKEAWAY: Increase f inancial responsibi l i ty throughempowering the VPF to look into individual divis ions of divis ions and seekout i f there are violat ions of The Monetary Code. Removes legislat iverubber stamp, which often led to missing major violat ions of theMonetary Code.SGA Bui lding Bridges Program

Formally identified Cox Amphitheatre as a location for freedom of expression oncampus, a move that won praise from President Wagner

Organized this program with President Alex Kappus to increase dialogue oncampus and bring together disparate groups on campus to facilitate mutuality andunderstanding

CONCRETE TAKEAWAY: A location on campus for students to expressthemselves and learn about the opinions of others . A program that wil lbridge the gaps between different groups on campus to promote theUniversi ty s goals of respect for diversi ty and difference of opinions . Heldseveral events over the course of the year .Campus Safety Safety Walks with EPD

Organized Safety Walks with representat ive group of Emorystudents to identify safety concerns on campus during nightt ime withEPD Submitted comprehensive report with several pol icy and programideas for EPD to increase campus safety

CONCRETE TAKEAWAY: Increased student concerns into the campussafety process and forged a relat ionship with EPD to continue toincrease campus safety . Created a Student Advisory Board for CampusSafety to ensure channel for communication and safety concernsthroughout the Universi ty .

For more deta i led in format ion about what I ve done , p lease contact me to request my SGA Reports onthe in i t ia t ives progress as we l l as suggest ions for bet ter ing them moving forward .


7/14

ForEmory,ByEmory 7

MY VISION FOR EMORY

Examples:1. Using graduate students at no cost to advise undergraduates on career andacademic issues2. Enl ist ing Volunteer Emory volunteers as chi ldcare resource for no cost tograduate students and an on-campus, convenient resource3. Offer ing peer-advisors with in department to increase value of degree bypromoting compatibi l i ty and increased information

UsingresourcesalreadyavailablebyEmory,forEmory

CREATIVITY

Littleornoadditionalfeetostudentsand/orSGA

AFFORDABILITYEachinitiativemustaddorbetteracomponentofstudentlife

ADDITIONALRESOURCES


8/14

PlatformAdvis ing and MentoringCareer Center and div is ional career resources in terface

( P r e s id e n t M a r i a T o w n s S t u d e n t S u p p o r t D u r i n g F i n a n c i a l C r i s is R e p o r t )More interaction between Career Center and divisional Career Centers to ensure accessibilityand additional resources for all studentsAddit ional training for Career Center advisers to meet the needs of thediff icult economic t imes and advise their students more effect ivelyGraduate students need Career Center counselors who have adequateadvising, especial ly s ince graduate students attest to lack of these counselorswho understand this job market adequately

Publ ic ize course syl labi before class registrat ion and include quest ions on studentquest ionnaires to publ ic ize about classesEnsure students have access to information they need to make smart decisions about classchoices

Work with Office of Undergraduate Education to include course review questions that can andwill be publicized to students to facilitate class registration

Further expand Peer- to-Peer Advis ingUse two department platform as a pilot program for rest of University

Continue to sell program to department chairsEnlist SGA Ad Hoc Committee to see the program into long-term academic vision

Use peer advisors for students seeking advising post-PACE and pre-major declaration, liberalarts-oriented students, and students needing more major advising

Alumni Networking and Advising( P r e s id e n t M a r i a T o w n s S t u d e n t S u p p o r t D u r i n g F i n a n c i a l C r i s i s R e p o r t )Worsening job market requires strong alumni network

Increase Alumni communication to update Eagle Opportunities databaseDivisional councils should work with their divisions to ensure divisional-specific alumni information

Alumni outreach must be greater to outline the struggles of current Emory students in finding jobs

Found Intercultural Exchange Mentor ProgramCollaborate with cultural club presidents and OMPS to form programEnlist cultural club mentors to become paired with other cultural club mentors to share cultural

experiences at Emory

Increase diversity through mutual respect of experience while taking advantage of full cultural,religious resources at Emory

Double enrol lment of SGA Graduate/Undergraduate Mentoring Program


9/14

ForEmory,ByEmory 9

Use same program platform, but spread enrollment to increase divisional enrollment in lackingdivisions through gaining support

Reevaluate this years successes and shortcomings to better the program

Expand meeting times and incorporate other career services around campus to mentoringgroups

Cont inue to bols ter relat ionship with Career CenterBuild on relationship created this year with Mentoring program to further establish affordableadvising supplementsTie in other divisions to Career Center leaders to establish buy-in for advising programs acrossUniversity and mutuality of resources

Advocacy, Student Concerns , SGA Accountabi l i tyUniversity-wide pol icy for professors on textbook request ing

If only minimal changes to new editions, professors should adhere to this policy and not requestthe new, more expensive editions to save students money

Use roundtables as active forum of invitat ion for student advocacy groupsOpen up roundtables with constant invitations to club representatives and other divisional

leaders to increase conversation

Work with Speaker to set benchmarks for individual legislators

Divvy up presidential agenda amongst legislators without initiatives and set benchmarks forresults-oriented success.If legislators do not meet benchmarks, move forward with facilitative action and if legislators to

not work, punitive action.

Enl ist student l iaisons to handle small scale, rapidly reparable concernsCreate team of small student volunteers to quickly assess problems pertaining to dining, campus

services, etc. and meet with the right people to remedy the issues over night.

Actively use social media as outlet for concern and informationBring a student concerns presence to both Facebook and Twitter as well as constantly update

SGA blog with initiative progresses to allow students to see their representatives in action

Enforce legislative minimum for legislators and ensure that legislation is quality workThe Legislature and SGA as a whole must be active and meeting student concern, thus arequirement of legislative activity is necessary when legislators are not being proactive.If the legislation is not quality and concrete or is blatantly an attempt to just meet the quota

instead of do their jobs, then punitive action could be taken.

Use SGA Liaisons who report back to Presidents and all divisional councils


10/14

We have these currently, not used and not charged with responsibility to co-opt efforts withdivisions

Far too often does communication break down and these liaisons to Campus Safety, EPD,

Career Center and other organizations must allow us to create a unity around campus ofinformation.

Community Bui ldingIdeas for Emory Summit of Student Leaders

Bring together student leaders annually for an event attended by administrators and students todiscuss Emory and ideas for creating a stronger community

Present an end-of-the-year program of student concerns and blueprint for future initiatives

Extend SGA Building Bridges Program and freedom of expressionWork with even more student groups to allow them to use the area for their events and forexpression purposesAdvertise the area around campus in a communications effort to establish a tradition of freespeechConcretely bring clubs of differing opinions together to forge common ground or at least gainmutual respect for varying opinionsWhile this may seem abstract, the idea of brining groups together around campus is extremelyconcrete.

SGA Development DirectorsHave students act as Development Directors similar to what the University has for themselves tofacilitate projects that students are working onThey would know about how projects can get off the ground and organizations can run events,so they will be able to facilitate these projects throughout the Emory campus by connectingpeople and explaining the necessary processes to have successful efforts and student-oriented

initiatives.

Campus Safety and L ifeAddit ional Work-Study Jobs on campus

( P r e s id e n t M a r i a T o w n s S t u d e n t S u p p o r t D u r i n g F i n a n c i a l C r i s is R e p o r t )More jobs on campus can remove the visa-border for international students in need of jobs,but that have trouble without visas obtaining them off-campusDifficult economic times call for more work-study jobs because more students eligible

o Part time jobs that are more high-paying to ease burden of being full-time student andfull-time employee

Integrate campus safety orientation into freshman orientationIntegrate Emory Police Department into orientation week to have the opportunity to introducefreshmen to campus transition


11/14

ForEmory,ByEmory 11

Potentially partner with PACE to make one of the requirements of the 1.0 credit hour class toattend a campus transition meeting with EPD

Safety Walks with EPD Officers

Students walk around campus with EPD officers to identify spots on campus that they do notfeel safe or comfortable

Assessment will be made and SGA will work with EPD to ensure students feel safe at all spotson campus

Require Emory Escort Drivers to take numbers of studentsWork with EPD and Committee on Escort Services as well as Campus Life to establish a method

to take student numbersWill help by preventing students from waiting outside or alone when they could be inside and

have the driver call them

Student Health Center Shutt le StopCollaborate with divisional councils to gain funding and propose the idea to TransportationServices

Graduate Childcare through joint venture with Volunteer Emory or Work-StudyEnlist either Volunteer Emory volunteers or create work-study jobs to provide an affordable

alternative and on-campus childcare for graduate students in need

Assess price, qual i ty competit iveness of Sodexho compared to other campusesCareer Center and div is ional career resources in terface( P r e s id e n t M a r i a T o w n s S t u d e n t S u p p o r t D u r i n g F i n a n c i a l C r i s i s R e p o r t )Enlist Campus Services committee to work with other campus SGAs to assess food and diningmethods as well as affordabilityCompile a list of suggestions as well as complaints and deliver them to Sodexho and University,similar to the approach done to change the mailing service

Ensure graduate students have accessible, affordable food options, many graduate divisions

only have Jazzmans available to them.

In-person Textbook Exchange for Emory StudentsPrioritize finding a place on campus that students can donate their old textbooks or tradetextbooks with other students

Create a system framework to allow for trading of textbooks on LearnLink to allow students toknow what is available and connect them

Financial Respons ib i l i tySupport Transparent Protocol for Financial Advising

P r e s i d e n t M a r i a T o w n s S t u d e n t S u p p o r t D u r i n g F i n a n c i a l C r i s i s R e p o r t )During financial crisis, students must be aware of who they can go to on campus and need not

rely on individuals untrained to deal with these touchy issues


12/14

Information about financial advising resources should be readily available to students throughmediums like email, flyers, LearnLink, offices, etc.Faculty and staff should be trained or receive information materials on how to handle students

who come to them about financial issuesOrganizations and clubs on campus must have uniform method to ensure that financial

discrimination can be dealt with in a fair way, if they want to provide support for example, whoqualifies and how they can practice their financial policies fairly and helpfully

Monetary code overhaulEnforce Monetary Code Amendments of 2010 that I was a cosponsor of and act financially

responsibly with student activity fee funds.

Establ ish posit ion of Deputy Vice President for Finance to increase preparednessCreate a Deputy position so that the next VP of Finance can learn the job and not have to face

the steep learning curveWill also allow VP of Finance more time to concentrate on student concerns and organizational

funding since Deputy will ease the load of responsibility

Develop Emergency Fund for students in f inancial needWork with office of Financial Aid to put aside money for students who face dire financialconditions

If emergency occurs that is medical, academic, or related to their success at Emory, this fund

could offer them financial assistance to get through the rough timesFunding could be gained from divisional council supportWork with office of Financial Aid and administration

Long Term Investment and Structural ImprovementInterdivis ional Investment Fund for long term, University-wide improvements

Develop an inter-divisional committee to determine an improvement necessary that studentswant each year

Go to divisions and seek funding to unite all together and collectively fund a project yearly thatis sustainable, student-oriented, and will be value added

Enhance McDonough Field by pool ing together organizational funding to be matchedby SGAWork with club presidents to pool together funding to provide upgrades to McDonough fieldthat all groups can use to their benefit (i.e. especially political, programming, performance

oriented groups)

Assess blue l ight availabi l i ty around campusWork with Emory Police Department to assess where blue lights are needed and if blue lights

from certain places can go to ones of higher priorityAssess safety within parking decks to deter crime, increase lighting and presence of EPD andsecurity officers at night hours.


13/14

ForEmory,ByEmory 13

Adminis trat ion + SGA TransparencyFol low through with meetings with executive search consultants to display reasoningthroughout process

Often, student leaders are invited to meet with executive search consultants to find newUniversity administratorsFollow through with this by proposing legislation in support of a particular candidate or by

giving suggestions

Also, report back to legislature and members to solicit advice

Publ ish al l legislat ion onl ine for students to view prior to legislat ive sessionsUse website as an archive for legislation and make students aware that voting records areonline

Formalize student-oriented proposal for traits we wish to see in hir ingsSGA legislators and executive board members consistently meet with hiring consultants to give

student feedback on University hirings, we must formalize these suggestions andrecommendations for each new, significant opening in the administration

Oxford CampusIncrease shutt le routes to and from Oxford Campus

Work with Oxford SGA to identify routes that students desire and work with Transportation to

find ways to increase frequency of shuttle routes

Appoint Oxford Ambassadors to increase f low of information between campusesEnlist main campus students to serve as intermediaries between the two campuses to guarantee

Oxford students know what opportunities exist on main campusOpen up the channel of communication between peers on both campuses so that upon arrival

connections are made and involvement is secured and easier

Reestablish Emory-Oxford CommitteeComprised of two Oxford representatives and two main campus representatives to co-opt

Oxford-oriented initiatives

Main campus orientation for al l Oxford students upon arrival to main campusSGA legislators and executive board members consistently meet with hiring consultants to give

student feedback on University hirings, we must formalize these suggestions andrecommendations for each new, significant opening in the administration

Assess resource availabi l i ty on Oxford Campus to guarantee al l resources availableon main campus are also present on Oxford CampusCross reference resources available on Oxford campus compared to main campus to ensure

that there is a dual availability of resources


14/14

* * I n s c u l p t in g t h i s p l a t f o r m , I m e t w i t h s e v e r a l s tu d e n tl e a d e r s , c a m p u s a d m i n i s tr a t o r s in o r d e r t o g a i n t h e m o s tc o m p r e h e n s i v e b a c k g r o u n d f o r h o w t o b e t t e r t h e E m o r yc o m m u n i ty a s a U n i v e r s i t y .

Documents

Ratner Platform