The Scarlet St Black. March [0,

978~page s

 

West, Youtz state positions on the issues

Editor's note: Monday. students
will lie asked to vote for either
Rhonda West or Greg Youtz tor
next year's Stutlcnt Gnvcrnnient
Association tSGA) presidency.

In an attempt to clarity the
issues and the two opponents'
respective positions in the cam-
paign. the 5&8 interviewed both
West and Youtzl Questions asked
were chosen ror both their im-
portance to the community and
relevance to the position of son
president.

Both candidates were ~kcd the
same questions. Wh’ it was not
possible to print their complete
responses to all questions, the
main points or each candidate are
included,

Why did you decide to run“?

West: I felt that there was a need
for a radical voice in the SGA
election procedures. Also, I myself
have come in contact with a lot of
ineffective procedures within the

them to pay attention and lollow
them.

What changes would you like to
see iii the SGA?

West: One of the biggest
problems that I think the SGA has
is in the method of representation.
I think that the fact that reps are
voted on by halls is a pretty ex-
clusive means of voting.

I would like to see it open to a
campusawide vote, and to expand
the number of representatives in
order that we could get more
minorities represented, It wouldn't
be hard for people to get a vote
based on their concerns. instead of
on their hall personality
preference I think that's essential
to SGA . . . that different groups
have a representative voice.

I also see the SGA as a primarily
reactive body It seems that they
get a lot of things that are handed
down to them from the committees
Where they vote either to accept it

Y outz feels he has necessary

SGA experience.

student government in a lot of
cases, and not just here. I've been
to four other colleges and I guess
l've complained long enough,.and
decided that maybe it would be
time for me to move in and try to
get something done,

There’s a need for a lot of
changes. and there's a need for
people who can organize the

Rhonda West
changes and get them moving, and
I feel that I’m capable,

Youtz: I’ve been working in
SGA, I‘ve been lairly heavily in-
volved in it. Ihavc some idca of the

- student interests, and therefore I
thought I would he a fairly good
candidate for president.

What makes you the best can—
didate’!

West: When I want something
done I get it done. When I see the
need for something to be changed,
I'm very effective at it. It takes a
lot to get me worked up, but when
I‘m worked up I pursue things all
the Way to the end.

Youtz: I guess the thing I have
going lur me . . . is that I have
experience working in student
government I’m now on several
student committees, and I'm on
several student-faculty-
administration committees. I see
the elected officials of student
government as people who are
rcsponsiblc for communicating the
opinions and the positions that are
expressed in Joint Board: to the
'adminlstratlon and convincing

or not toraccept it. As it is, they
seem to be getting a lot of things
sort of second hand, where they're
reacting instead of acting on
situations.

I think it‘s possible the way it‘s
set up that these things could be
corrected, I'm really surprised
nobody's attempted to do it before,
All it takes is a little streamlining,
possibly, of the committees and
trying to effectively reorganize
them,

Youtz: It is very difficult to
propose structural changes. Every
year, (it) is stated that students
are apathetic, and I‘m not sure
that structural changes are going
to stimulate student Interest. I
think the way I would go about
tmaking students less apathetic) is
to make SGA appear and actually
be effective in areas that directly
affect students. By doing this,
people will recognize that student
government can be effective and
then they will get involved,

(I want to involve SGA with) the
issues I mentioned in my platform,

speeiiieally in the area of the

bookstore. because, as I said, they
havea monopoly I think that there
are two things we can do there. One
is to . . . look into the possibility of
their selling books at a discount.
The second is to set up a regular,
used book system. I'd like to see it
done by the college as a regular
thing, as a part of the bookstore.

Another area that is obvious,
with the recent flu epidemic . , is
the health center. Up untll the
spring of 1976 ..ifyou got sick you
could go and check in and be
taken care oi, Now, its very abr
surd. You can only get sick during
office hours. I think that’s
something that, again, directly
affects students.

Now, I don't mean to say that I
don't want to get involved in
anything but local issues. I think

 

that Joint Boards is the forum for
political expression and, for that
matter, moral expression. This is
the only place that students have to
express their outrage or even just
their interest in things that are
going on nationally. I think that
Joint Boards is . . . a very ap
propriate organ for doing that,

What specific plans. issues and
proposals do you plan to raise next
year?

West: The primary one would be
to redo the constitution SO that the
election procedure and the
representational system would
change. I think that would be of
primary importance, I would like
to see that get in before the end of
the Semester,

Aside from that, I would like to
see . , a student with a voting
voice on the Board of Trustees. I
would like to see student
representation at the taculty
meetings

Most of it would deal with trying
to establish a representational
student government, though, for
the beginning. There's lots of Ways
that that could be done.

Youtz: I think it's Very unclear
at this time what , major
tpolitical) Issues are going to come
up The political and moral issues
that came up this year, ior
example, were not really an
ticipated last year at this timc, and
I mean by that the Kent State and

 

I think that the board of trustees
has taken a stance against moral
and political issues on the grounds
of academic freedom . . . and I
think that the SGA as a student
representational body should push
for the trustees to drop that stance,
as the SGA is the only
organization that even has a
means of getting to the trustee
meetings. It’s important. There's
just no way to disband the SGA
because then its left all up to the
administration and the faculty It's
important to have a representation
of the students. We’re the
majority, and we're also the
consumers.

Youtz: Most of the people, most
of the time, don't think about
student government, and they just
appreciate the things that it does,
and the things that it does are to
take care of the budget, from
student activities fees, allocate it.
and try to present a reasonable
Series of social activities including
parties, movies, and so iorth.
That’s one main area, A second
major area is social services, such
as the shuttles, the bus to Chicago,
that kind of thing. A third major
area is a political forum of Joint
Boards. which gives students a
place to voice their political and
moral views.

I think that EPC‘s are another
area that you definitely have . . to
increase student involvement.
Just recently the laculty voted ,

West sees a need for a radical

voice in the SGA.

South Africa tissues.) The boycott
issue . . will probably come up
again

As far as un-campus issues I
favor increased interaction with
the town, (where) there are
several programs I would like to
see get implemented The student
government monitoring of at
firmative action is something that
needs to be closely monitored. The
coordinator of the EPC'S needs lo
be maintained.

What is the importance of the
soil to the campus?

West: I think it's essential,
especially because it's the only
voice that the students have that
effectively reaches the ad
ministration. I don’t know if It has
enough power to really inﬂuence
decisions a whole lot. From what I
understand, Turner has never
rejected a proposal that they've
turned in to him.

Ithink that it’s important. , . we
are the consumers of the school,
basically, and I think it's imr
portant that we have a large say in
What we're receiving; and the SGA
is the only effective means of doing
this at this time I think that
through the SGA much could be
accomplished. Affirmative action

could be pushed much harder than
it is, stronger stands could be taken
on moral issues.

Presents

River City Review

from Iowa City

Lively Acoustic Music
ERIDAY AND SATURQAY

" tl til Closing—No ('0\ cr Cliurgc

(to accept) the proposed change in
evaluation of courses, which will
immensely reduce the role of
EPC's in that. The net effect of
tthis decision Will be to reduce)
student input, 1 think that student
government ought to be working
very hard to make sure that . . .
they have a strong role in
evaluation of faculty. I would like
to make sure that the affirmative
action policies are maintained, I
think that is another very im-
portant role.

The administration and the
students don’t always have the

Greg Youtz
same goals directly, and it is
important that the students make
sure that the things the ad

ministration agrees to tare
followed).

should the SGA conﬁne itself to
local. oii»canipiis issues?

We -. on, definitely not The
importance of the university in
influencing other people is just too
farrreaching, especially with the
South Africa bit. If every
university in the country would
take a stance against South Africa,
a lot of the Companies that are over
there could really face financial
trouble, or at least would have to
reassess their values quite a bit
more . . . it could have an effect
where they might influence
something positively. It‘s
ridiculous to confine a situation
that: trying to prepare kids for the
world and give them a liberal arts
education , Two blocks of
space, I just can't agree with that
at all.

Youtz: No, it should not. I think
the (local issues) will be the focus
to begin with, because that is an
important part of what SGA does. I
would really like to see the
government involved in getting
townecollege relations improved. I
think you can do all sorts of things
in that area. I think we could get
town residents involved in the
service organization stuff. I think
We could have internship programs
with people in town, A big part of
going to college at Grinnell
that you're not in a big city, and if
you just stay on campus, you don't
get any feeling of that.

Radlo :haelt

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