Onsdorff, Hunt Announce Candidacies for SGA President

Author: Chesley Thurber

Experience Bolsters Hunt's Presidential Bid



It is difficult to walk anywhere on campus without feeling the presence of Ginny Hunt '03, or at least without seeing one of her campaign banners. "I don't want to touch a paintbrush again," joked Hunt.

Hunt, however, has played a very influential role in the creation and implementation of many Student Government Association (SGA) proposals. An SGA veteran, Hunt currently serves as Chief of Staff and has worked on proposals to create an African-American Studies major and to amend the citation policy.

Student leadership was a priority for Hunt even before she came to Middlebury. As a senior in high school in Shelbyville, Tenn., she was co-president of the student government.

While interviewing as an applicant, Hunt told the admissions counselor that she wanted to continue participating in student government at Middlebury. She fulfilled her intention by immediately winning the position of dorm senator for Battell.

Since her first year, Hunt has served in a number of leadership positions on campus.

She has been co-chair of Cook Commons and the SGA senator for that commons, a member of the Middlebury College Activities Board (MCAB), SGA Facilities Planning Director and SGA Chief of Staff, the position she currently holds.

Of these positions, Hunt credits being co-chair of Cook Commons as the most influential on her leadership abilities as it required her to follow through with her initiatives from beginning to end.

If elected, Hunt says she hopes to make the SGA to take a more "proactive and constructive stance on community issues."

She expressed disapproval of the antagonism that has recently divided the SGA and the College administration and was disturbed by President John McCardell's decision not to ask the SGA for input on creating a campus security policy. "The administration was making a strong statement," said Hunt. "It's really time to step away from the very antagonistic relationship."

Instead, Hunt views the example of the proposed African-American studies major as an ideal model of for "proactive and constructive" student government. She explained she applauds the proposal because it was initiated by a group of students who were then able to use the SGA as a resource to create dialogue with the administration and formulate possible solutions.

Hunt has several other issues that she would like to pursue as well. She would like to form a committee to conduct a yearlong analysis of the commons system.

The plan would involve an objective analysis of the system's performance and then would create smaller groups to work with each commons to strengthen its role.

She has also proposed a "Presidents' Council" of leaders of student organizations to meet monthly to discuss needs and issues related to their organizations.

But what will likely be her most controversial proposal involves modifications to the alcohol policy. Hunt hopes to amend the citation policy, allow student organizations to use funds to purchase alcohol and convert the lower Proctor dining hall into a campus pub.

While these ideas may be controversial, Hunt takes great pride in her platform. "Some of the best ideas on my platform came from students," said Hunt. She plans to spend much of her campaign discussing these issues with College deans and student organization leaders.



Housing, Study Abroad Top Onsdorff's Campaign Platform



Neil Onsdorff '03 has been on a mission ever since returning from his Winter Term in Austria. "You can't complain and just not do anything about it," said Onsdorff.

Onsdorff is a newcomer to campus politics, but since his return has been living up to his statement. He joined Community Council in February and is now running for president of the Student Government Association (SGA).

A Psychology major from Summit, N.J., Onsdorff spent much of his first two years at Middlebury on the field playing both football and rugby. However, a jet skiing accident ended his athletic career, and he has since turned to student government.

"I don't think that is a disadvantage," said Onsdorff about his relative inexperience in student government.

In fact, he feels his involvement in other aspects of campus life will be even more beneficial, allowing him greater contact with a wider array of students.

Onsdorff spent January in Salzburg, Austria taking a course on politics and religion. This experience has had a great impact on both his decision to enter student government and the goals he hopes to accomplish.

"I've always been someone who loves the school," he said, adding that his friends at home routinely tease him for talking constantly about Middlebury. The trip, however, gave him the motivation to demonstrate this passion through student government.

By joining Community Council, Onsdorff said he felt that he "finally had the chance to make a difference" and through this experience has become interested in the issue of student housing. He campaigned for an advantage for junior counselors as part of room draw. His failure to achieve this provision motivated him to seek a position where he could pursue his ideas more actively. "Being president [of the SGA] is a position where I could improve upon [Middlebury's] greatness," he commented.

The influence of his study abroad experience is also evident in his platform. Onsdorff advocates a more active and visible means for students to share information about their study abroad experiences. While the Study Abroad Office currently possesses a file filled with student evaluations, Onsdorff contends that this is too remote and too rarely used. He hopes to create an online forum where students can more actively exchange stories and experiences.

Onsdorff would also like to promote a much greater involvement of international students in student government. In Austria, he met many Middlebury international students and was impressed by their thoughtful ideas and vast knowledge of American as well as global politics. Onsdorff emphasized that international students often have different perspectives than their American counterparts and "really have something to say" but that their ideas and opinions are rarely voiced in student government.

Though not a member, Onsdorff is a strong supporter of the Middlebury social houses. He contends that social houses are even more necessary in a rural location where fewer social alternatives are available. However, he noted that there are several problems with social houses and their behavior that need to be addressed. "A social house on probation for half a year is not doing its job," he maintained. He said he hoped that the annual evaluations conducted by the Community Council subcommittee on social and academic interest houses will serve as a strong tool to pressure those houses that have had problems to improve and award those houses that have successfully met their goals.

Over the next week Onsdorff has booked a busy schedule for himself. He said he aims to talk to a broad slice of the community and to engage students that have felt distant from student government.