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BeUnderstood. It's a simple name that holds a lot of meaning. It's a slate
that stands for change on campus, change that will affect you and every
other student at Boston University. Why should you care? Because until now,
you've only been complaining to your friends and roommate about the things
that upset you at BU. Because until now, those complaints haven't done
anything to make a difference. Because until now, you've woken up each day
to follow the same routine of walking to classes and walking back home, and
we're trying to tell you that there could be something more to college than
just books and sleep.
BeUnderstood. Our slate is not about saving the rest of the world, but about
building a community at Boston University and making this truly your school
and home. We want you to be understood by the administration and help you
understand them so that we can all work together for a better school. We
want to bring out the best of BU and show it to you, and make you happy that
you stayed here.
Take a look at our slate. Each person is dedicated to building a solid and
open relationship with you, the students and the administration. It's not a
blind dedication; we know it's going to be difficult sometimes; we know the
faults, but we also know the strengths of this school backwards and
forwards. Several of us have worked in the Student Union before and all of
us have been involved in some way with student groups and administrators on
campus. The part that makes us different from all the others is that we have faith in the students and the administration; we believe that
together, we can build this school into a stronger and brighter community.
And we KNOW that we can do that right now. Make this university your
university. Make the Student Union your union. Vote to BeUnderstood .
One of our biggest projects for next year is....
"Center Stage"
BeUnderstood knows that STUDENTS are the most under-utilized resource of this university. We have the talent, we have the energy, we have the brains! So let's put it on "Center Stage"!
- Student lectures on fun and interesting topics
- Concerts featuring local student bands
- Gallery art (both indoors and out on the sidewalks using movable walls) with student artwork
- Poetry Readings
- Costume shows (cultural and just fun)
- 'Student Profiles' on the Student Union webpage and other publications
- Dances celebrating culture and having a good time
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Through an effective and MUCH more public Student Union you will see improved:
- Guest Policy Re-Examination from the bottom up:
- Task Force including the Student Union, RA's, RHA's, students, administration, impartial faculty overseer
- Issues such as 12AM sign-in curfew, 2AM signout curfew on weekends, study extension policy, off-campus access to dorms
during meals and late night, among others
- Evidence: compare history of the policy (crime stats and environment of BU at the time the policy
was implemented) to present-day needs; point to the decrease in vandalism; show how roommate conflicts can be resolved other than by extreme
measures
- Improve Teaching Fellows (TFs) - grad students who lead discussions and labs
- Survey results analyzed by our Academic Affairs VP candidate indicate that ~74% of students are dissatisfied with their TFs
- What to do?: put in checks and balances - ask professors to sit in on class discussions and labs; create better training
programs for TFs before the semester begins, focusing on English-speaking and presentation skills; make a feedback system early
in the semester for students to voice concerns about TFs
- Undergraduate Student Fee - account for every dime and penny of our money
- Ensure the money we have is being spent wisely with full disclosure
- Build a stronger case to get funding for student groups who need more money
- Community Building:
- A bridge between student groups through PrezNet and the BUCC (Boston University Collaboration Council) -- this is something
that is already in the works!
- Eliminate overlap of events and speakers
- Student groups hampered by a lack of adequate funding can meet together and co-sponsor events
- Support networks of your peers encourage collaboration and community
- Celebrate our Diversity: promote cultural exchange
- Council of Cultures will be composed of student leaders of all the cultural groups on campus
- Each monthly meeting of the Council of Cultures will have a newsletter of all the cultural events being planned for that month
- Cultural groups will be able to attend each other's events and cosponsor shows so that everyone will learn not just about their own, but also about another person's cultural heritage
- Include various ethnic foods in the dining halls at least once a month
- Safety at BU: Prevention, Education and Awareness
- RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) Program
- Safety week in the beginning of the semester
- Students Rights as People
- Expanding Escort Service into Allston-Brighton area by working with the town council to re-evaluate current laws that are against expansion
- Communication and Involvement:
- Have office hours outside of the Student Union office (we understand that no one wants to go to the GSU basement, so we want to come to you) in places like the dining halls and the GSU Foodcourt
- Put up an Authoritative and Web-based Calendar for community events, meeting agendas, and all the wonderful things going on at BU
- Start working with the Freshmen Orientation Program during the summer to make sure students are aware and involved from the beginning of their BU life
- Make sure office hours for the Student Union E-board, SUAB, and other groups are strictly followed - we don't make idle promises!
- Meet with student groups, RHAs, LSU, and others at their own times and places (we will take that first step to be there for you!)
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