Inaugurations!

Fellow Students,

Last Thursday, the newly elected senators and co-governors as well as the president and vice president of the DCGA were inaugurated into their positions as student representatives. If you see any of them around, be sure to congratulate them on their new leadership positions!

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA President




Photos courtesy of Jennifer Low and Shiya Huang

Community Senators Elected

Over the past week, community senators were elected by their various communities. The final election took place at 6:00pm this evening, and the results have been confirmed. The following students will be serving their student communities in the coming year.

Community Senators

African-American Student Community
Sakenah Chapman
Raymond Wilson

Asian-American Student Community
Priya Nigam
Yuanqing Zheng

GLBTQA Student Community
Tia Christenson
Nick Garafola

International Student Community
Radhika Kamalia
Gisselle Ripamonti

Jewish Student Community
Matt Lipner
Sophie Loewengart

Latino/Latina Student Community
Mya Price
Mario Zepeda

Muslim Student Community
Abdi Ali
Eddie Millard

Be sure to congratulate these students should you see them. Inaugurations will be held tomorrow at 7:00pm in the Welsh Hills Room, and it is open to the public.

Class Senators and Co-Governors Elected

Fellow Denison Community Members,

Yesterday, the student body elected new student class representatives for the DCGA Senate, ending a week of some of the most competitive campaigning I've seen in my time on campus. The following students were those who have been elected to serve their class in the coming year.

Co-Governors:

Class of 2011
Brett Ayers
Sibylle Freiermuth

Class of 2012
Rob Moore
Jerome Price

Class of 2013
Sam Esarey
Georgy Chafi Samen Kehedy

Senators:

Class of 2011
Molly Anderson
Ryan Buesser
Amy Eberlin
John Froehlich
Will Georgic
Kevin Lynch
Sean Redmond
Tommy Simon

Class of 2012
Ryan Chenevey
Elizabeth Emhardt
Audrey Gross
Max Harris
Sarah Kelly
Lucas Meyer
Steven Profitt
Tenniecia Williams

Class of 2013
Michael Chung
Maggie Doyle
Casey Hanrahan
Manny Horsford
Amy Huang
Rachel Reed
Ian Shapiro
Dillon Wilson

Congratulations to those who have been elected into service, and best of luck in the coming year! I am very excited about the coming year, and I feel strongly that this will be a big year for student government!

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA Senator, Class of 2011

Bylaws Revisions

Fellow Denison Community Members,

One of DCGA's big projects this year was an all-out revision of the DCGA Bylaws, which serve as a code of operating procedures for the Student Senate, Senate Committees, Class Councils, and other officers. At 6:30pm on this Monday, November 16th, the DCGA Rules Committee will be finalizing their draft to be voted upon the following Tuesday, November 17th. The initial recommendations of the Rules Committee were presented on October 27th (available here).

If you are interested, please feel free to join us and offer your perspective. The DCGA Bylaws directly impact the funding of student organizations as well as the functioning of student government.

See you there,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
Rules Chair, Denison Campus Governance Association

A New President Chosen

Fellow Denisonians,

As some of you may have already heard, I have been elected to serve as the President of the Denison Campus Governance Association. After a long and arduous campaign against three of the most qualified members of my class, the student body selected me to lead them through the year 2010. I would like to use this time to thank all of those who helped me out in all ways. Whether it was talking to a friend about the elections, operating an elections table, asking me questions about my platform, giving me suggestions about my platform, posting posters, or just simply voting, I would certainly not have this opportunity without your assistance.

On the table are a great variety of issues: dining, diversity, communication, policy, identity, resources, and more. To tackle these issues effectively, I will need passionate and dedicated students to participate in the student Senate as well as in committees that address these issues. I have said that I would not have come this far without you; I must also say that, without continued support, I will not be able to go as far as I would like to go.

So run for Senate. Not only will you develop your leadership abilities, but you will make real change on campus. Your food will taste better with you knowing that you helped improve the quality of the food. Your classes will be more fulfilling with you knowing that you helped restructure the general education package. Your residence halls will feel more like home with you knowing that you helped develop its designation and policies. This year, Senate will be an organization that reinvents Denison student life.

However, if Senate isn't for you, still be sure to let your voice be heard. Sign up for the DCGA Updates List to stay informed. Check this blog regularly. Let me or your other representatives know what you think the biggest issues facing our campus today are. This year will be huge for the students, and it will be even bigger with you a part of it.

See you at Senate,

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA President-Elect

What Does the President Do?

Fellow Denisonians,

When deciding for which presidential candidate to vote today, it is crucial to consider the duties and powers that come with the position. I have enumerated several of the more significant presidential responsibilities and explained why I am most qualified to fulfill them. These duties are all taken from Article II, Section D, Sub-Section 1 of the DCGA Constitution or from Article III, Section B, Sub-Section 1 of the DCGA Bylaws.

1.) "The President shall serve as Chair and member of the Campus Affairs Council"

I am the only candidate to have attended the Campus Affairs Council's meetings this semester. This will ensure a seamless transfer of office, so the Campus Affairs Council can move forward in approving the medical amnesty policy and establish student health and safety as paramount.

2.) "The President may also convene, at pleasure, any advisory group consisting of students, faculty or other individuals"

I am also the only candidate to have already created an advisory committee: the Committee on Finance Reform. This committee brought together organization treasurers (who presented budget proposals to the finance committee) and finance committee members (who heard budget proposals presented by organization treasurers). After writing the resolution to create this committee, I was elected as chair. Under my leadership, the committee proposed several key reforms to improve the effectiveness of our finance allocation process.

I would like to recreate this committee again to further address issues concerning the finance allocation process, and I would like to create other committees to similarly address other issues of concern that may arise throughout the year.

3.) "The President shall be the chief executive officer of DCGA"

As Rules Chair of the DCGA, I spearheaded a complete revision of the 39-page DCGA Bylaws, which are essentially the operating procedures for Senate. I met with the various DCGA committee chairs to update our Bylaws to include recent adjustments in committee roles. As a result, I am very well-versed in all roles of DCGA, and I would be effective in administrating responsibilities and assisting the members of Senate and the members of the community at large in realizing their goals.

I believe that I am the clear candidate of choice when it comes to qualifications for DCGA President; as a result, I ask you to vote for me today to best represent the student body in what will surely be DCGA's biggest year yet.

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA Senator, Class of 2011

Running an Environment-Friendly Campaign

Fellow Denisonians,

After facing criticism concerning paper use in yesterday's Bullsheet, I was curious as to how I could reduce the waste generated by my campaign. I have come up with a couple ways that will hopefully allow my campaign to meet the standards the university has set concerning sustainability.

1.) Use Electronic Campaign Materials When Possible
Through employing various non-paper resources, such as this blog or my facebook campaign group, I can reduce the amount of waste that I am generating. I can also maximize my face-to-face campaigning, such as the sort that I do while tabling in Slayter or while meeting with campus groups.

2.) Use Paper Resources Effectively
Without any paper advertising, campaigning would be incredibly difficult. However, using paper in creative ways can make the most of few resources. Collecting many papers in one place draws attention, as well as other ideas such as door hangers, table tents, and fliers placed in unique locations. In other cases, paper should be used sparingly if it must be used at all.

3.) Recycle Paper Used for Campaigning
After campaigning, paper campaign materials should be recycled. The back side of campaign posters can be used to promote other events on campus. I propose that all Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates turn their campaign posters into Senate elections posters, to encourage as many students to run for student Senate as is possible. If elected President, I would like to use the giant face poster as a means of introducing myself to the student body at large by placing it with a different caption. I would also like to recycle it after that also by putting it in my room as a souvenir of that one time when I made a giant poster of my face.

I intend to implement these practices as I carry my campaign to completion in the next couple days. Hopefully, these three strategies will ensure that my campaign is in line with sustainability mission of the campus.

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA Senator, Class of 2011

Halloween False Alarm

Fellow Denisonians,

This Halloween weekend, I went around to various social gatherings to introduce myself and speak about my vision for student government. While check in at various parties, I witnessed a fire alarm that forced over 100 students out of Lower Elm, disturbing their evenings. Rumors circulated as to the cause of the fire alarm, the most disturbing of which claiming that security themselves had pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building and break up the parties.

Hearing the blaring alarm reminded me of problems last year in Shorney with students pulling fire alarms without the impression of a fire. Not only do false alarms decrease the legitimacy of fire alarms, but they also blatantly disrespect student rights. As DCGA President, I would push for the reoutfitting of fire alarm stations with ones that mark individuals who pull them. No one should have their evening disturbed by fire alarms, whether it disrupts their sleep before their midterm or one of the best party nights of the year.

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA Senator, Class of 2011

Putting Safety First: Medical Amnesty and You

Fellow Denisonians,

One of the key issues in the Campus Affairs Council right now is the idea of medical amnesty, a policy that promises protection from disciplinary action to intoxicated students who seek out medical help themselves or have help sought for them by others. This policy has been modeled after policies at other universities, and its intention is to set as first priority the health of Denison students.

This is a policy that I whole-heartedly support. When a student is deciding whether or not it is appropriate to get medical help for a friend, that student should be taking into consideration only the health of that friend -- not worries about getting the friend in trouble. As an RA, I can rest assured with this policy knowing that my residents will contact me if they are in danger; indeed, without it I may not be contacted when my residents need me simply because they fear punitive action. This obviously hampers my ability to perform my job to assist residents.

Having sat in on Campus Affairs Council for the past semester, I know I can ensure that this proposal is swiftly enacted into policy so that the health and safety of students is held as paramount.

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA Senator, Class of 2011

Hopefuls Discuss Issues on WDUB

Fellow Denisonians,

Last evening, all four presidential candidates met to discuss various issues on 91.1 WDUB's College Boi Radio. The discussion was framed around three key issues chosen by DJ and presidential candidate Cortez Hicks; these issues were sustainability, finance, and diversity. Audio clips of these discussions can be found below.



Sustainability



Finance



Diversity



Closing Thoughts



Special thanks to Cortez Hicks for hosting us on his radio show. The discussions certainly informed the policy of all the candidates, and I hope that no matter which candidate wins, they will incorporate the problem solving strategies raised in this conversation into their presidential goals. Be sure to tune in next week to College Boi Radio on Sunday from 9:30pm to 11:30pm for some post-election coverage, only on 91.1 WDUB.

Your Representative,

Eric "Harry" Brisson
DCGA Senator, Class of 2011