NICK KENSINGER

MY PLATFORM

As part of the group Five Ways Forward, we have common campaign goals like the facilitation of student-administration interaction, creation of a Columbia Guidebook, improving the class registration process, and integration of more student public spaces on campus. If elected, my short-term priorities would include petitioning the administration and dining to install air conditioning in the John Jay dining hall and trying to extend dining hall hours. The temperature in John Jay dining hall during the summer and early in the school year is unacceptable, both to students and workers. In fact, the sushi station only exists because the previous station, which included pizza ovens, was creating too much heat. Air conditioning would improve working conditions and make dining in John Jay a more enjoyable experience. This would also increase the feasibility of having both John Jay and Ferris Booth commons open for more hours, as both dining spaces and spaces for students to collaborate. In a city with as many space constraints as New York, having large dining areas closed off to students as often as the dining halls are is counterproductive.
 

Long term, I hope to create a “Guidebook to Columbia.” This book would compile as many of the resources on campus as possible in one place. During NSOP, the book would be given to first years and would include all the various NSOP materials, which would reduce the number of handouts going directly into a recycling bin. The guidebook would also include short descriptions of each club and contact information for club leaders, popular places to eat around campus, advice on how to live on a budget in NYC, the perks that are associated with being a Columbia student (Broadway tickets, museum entrance, etc.), and contact information and locations for campus resources, including, but not limited to, Columbia Psychological Services, CAVA, the Rape Crisis Anti-Violence Support Center, Public Safety, Hartley Hospitality, and Columbia Health Services. The guidebook could be distributed both electronically and in hard copy form, and compiling all this information would likely increase use rates for many of the services and perks presented, just by increasing publicity.
 

Most importantly, a student council representative’s job is to listen to their classmates. I strive to be accessible at any time, and will always be available to listen to questions, comments, and concerns. My party and I are focused on being the voice of the class of 2018. I believe that I, along with my fellow candidates in Five Ways Forward, can provide the most effective communication between the student body and the administration and yield results that are so often lacking in student government organizations. I hope that I’ve convinced you that Five Ways Forward has a concrete roadmap to improving Columbia, but regardless, I ask that you go out and vote.

TL;DR: Consolidating information, air conditioning in John Jay dining, listening to the class of 2018. Go vote – make your voice heard!