GET EXCITED! Elections are coming!
My name Justin Patrizio and I am a third year philosophy
student here at UC Davis. I am an active member of the
ASUCD Internal Affairs Commission (IAC) and am also a member
of the UC Davis Lobby corps. IAC is concerned with the ASUCD
Bylaws and Constitution, and we spend much of our time
reviewing and editing legislation before it ever sees the
Senate table. I am familiar with the form and function of
legislation, and feel confident in my ability to perform
the legislative duties of an ASUCD Senator. Lobby Corps is
ASUCD's external advocacy unit, which means we deal with issues
concerning students, but these issues aren't necessarily dealt
with on the university level. We travel to the state capitol to
lobby and work with state representatives to for students' rights
as well as more room in the state budget for the UC system and
decreased funding cuts. In the past 2 years, Lobby Corps has
successfully decreased cuts to the UC system by over $100 million.
I have a wide range of influences and consider myself to be a rather
well rounded individual, as I participate in campus activities
like intramural sports and ASUCD as well as holding an off campus job.
As a Senator, I will always consider the best interests of the
students, both as individuals and as a community. I am rational,
determined, and enthusiastic, and I would be honored to have the
opportunity to serve the students of UC Davis.
I have already begun working
with organizations on campus to improve student life. When elected, I hope
to continue working on the following projects already under way:
Increasing Accessibility to Financial Aid Information
I hope to implement a quarterly seminar series dedicated
to educating students about financial aide options as well as
budgeting and debt repayment. These seminars should also include
information about private loans, savings/investment accounts,
and credit. This program would be a combined effort between
ASUCD and the UCD Financial Aid Office, and would consist of
frequent (bi-monthly, if not weekly) short, informational meetings
held on campus in public areas. The goals would be to make
financial aid and information about finances in general more
available to students, hopefully making life easier for the
students of UC Davis.
Going Green
Working with campus organizations like R4 recycling services,
Project Compost, and the Environmental Planning and Protection
Commission (EPPC) I will work to reduce the carbon footprint of
individual ASUCD Units (like the coffee house, student store,
bike barn, etc...) and the University as a whole. I hope to
improve recycling and decrease waste campus-wide, as well as
work to bring Davis even further towards the forefront of sustainable
living. Students, along with residents of Davis and the City
Council, need to work together as a community to organize programs
the reduce waste in order to increase sustainability. With the support
of the community and the resources that exist within the University,
I am confident that we as a community can become leaders in the
fight for a better, greener future.
Increasing Campus-wide Wireless Internet Coverage
Working with ASUCD Senator Joe Chatham, I will continue
on the path that he and others have to a newer, more up to
date and powerful campus wireless network. I hope to install
new broadcast antennae regularly, and decrease the dead
spots in places like lecture halls and the arboretum. There is
some dissention among faculty members as to the potential impact
of wireless Internet access in lecture halls like Sci-Lec 123
and Chem 194, but I personally believe that all corners of our
campus should be networked effectively. I plan to lobby against
opponents to this proposition, and hope to garner support from
campus units other than ASUCD, as well as from the student body,
in order to convince the administration to move forward.
More generally, I hope to increase student involvement in campus projects and programs. The best way to do this is to increase accessibility and information, and discourage the uneven distribution of resources and political power that slates like L.E.A.D. and other past organizations have depended on. I believe all students deserve the same opportunity to get involved, and the same rules regarding resources should apply to everyone, not just those running independent. L.E.A.D. has an infrastructure set up that consistently grows year after year and this gives each lead candidate a distinct edge over the competition. Slates are divisive and encourage candidates to conform to the ideals of the slate in order to improve their chances of winning. I am opposed to the idea that conformation and subordination to a party or slate somehow entitles a candidate to greater resources
