Michael Hammond v. Bethany Taylor

Editor’s note: Today, the undergraduate student body is voting for future senators of the Undergraduate Student Senate. A number of the candidates have sent in columns detailing why your vote should belong to them.

Research and Development: This senator is responsible for conducting the research necessitated by the various projects of the USS and for determining student opinion on all matters of concern.

Michael Hammond

Every day I hear the ideas of both the administrators and students on how this campus can improve and be a better center for enriching students’ lives. I feel I can help bridge this gap and fulfill some of those wants and needs. Giving the students a voice is my main goal as a USS senator. This isn’t just the Undergraduate Student Senate campus, or the administrator campus, this is OUR campus. Working together is one of the best ways for us to get things done.

I currently sit on the All Campus Programming Board as the concert booking chair. I am also the vice president for Delta Upsilon Fraternity and a board member of the Kent State General Food Committee. I chose to take these positions because I felt there needed to be a change, and this is how I feel about the research and development position.

One of my goals is to develop a system that ACPB can work with when researching concerts. The steps we use now are lengthy and cumbersome. There are so many constraints on the way concerts are done, and I would like to simplify that.

Dining on Kent State’s campus is something that always changes in some aspects at least a couple of times a year. I would like the students to have a voice in the changes that occur. As a member of the Food Committee, I see how dining services works with the students and the various food services on this campus. My goal is to work with both the administrators and the students and do what is best for both groups.

Putting a face to my position on USS is key. I want the students to feel free to come up to me and discuss aspects of the university they would like to see change. A street team using random sampling methods is something I feel can help with this problem. I would like to use a polling system online through FlashLine to see what the students have to say about projects we have just begun or are thinking about working on.

What sets me apart from my opponent is that I actually am already involved in my platform goals. My goals are realistic and relate to my position. If I am elected, I will start working on them the day after I take office. I have learned how this campus works and feel I can contribute to the university. So when voting today, please vote for the candidate you feel is qualified and can do the job right.

Bethany Taylor

I am standing strong on my platform marked with three primary objectives and two issues to be researched.

First, I am a strong advocate of the College Level Examination Program. Kent State accepts and grants credit for several different CLEP tests. As I become senator of research and student development, I will develop CLEP informational packets for students which will include information about available testing centers, a list of the tests Kent State accepts and which course it corresponds to, the grade one needs to achieve for Kent State to grant course credit, and pricing. I will have study guides on reserve in my office for students to borrow, free of charge. The study guides are valued at $15 each. Many students are unaware of this excellent option to fulfill course requirements because advisers usually do not promote it. I will make this information readily available and easily accessible.

Secondly, I will create professor profiles. Each profile will contain information about professors who teach lecture courses. The profile will include facts such as their previous grade distribution; the amount of A’s, B’s, C’s, and so forth given throughout previous semesters. As the creator of such profiles, I have ambitions for future senators to add professors and a vision to have a profile for most professors at Kent State. I will make the information user-friendly and promote the use of these packets while students make decisions about which professor to take. I will have the profiles available in my office.

My third objective for the semester is to create a list of available local internships.

In addition to my three main objectives, there are two issues I will research. First, I will research every detail and every option for Kent State to build a parking garage. After the research is done, I will write a professional proposal in order to outline and promote my research on the subject. Secondly, I will research ways in which it would be possible for the library, or parts of the library, to be open 24 hours a day. Students have diverse lifestyles and with this aim, students would not be limited to a quiet place to study and perform research during the library’s current hours of operation.

More than just a vision of a burrito bar. Vote Bethany Taylor, senator of research and development.

The “Ticket” can kiss my ass.