EVP candidates split on REF initiative results

2/10/15 9:01am

At first glance, Student Association external vice president candidates Madhuri Venkateswar and Joan Liu appear to campaign on similar platforms of empowering students to control their own Rice experiences. However, McMurtry College senator Venkateswar and SA treasurer Liu differ in their approach toward this broader goal of realizing student interests.

Venkateswar cited her experience as a part of the Rice Education of the Future initiative as an indication of her ability to collaborate with administration. However, Liu said she finds the future plans of the REF to be outlined vaguely and desires more tangible results.

“To make student priorities a reality, I want to translate these into something accomplishable, as opposed to [just] setting a vision and revolving around it,” Liu said. “When I asked how we could realize REF, I never got a clear response. It was always, ‘We’re deferring to administration’ or ‘We’re working on it.’”

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Liu said although considering the big picture is important, being able to create something real is what students want.

“Experiential learning, like the ideas from REF or the SA40K — that’s what the SA should be making a reality,” Liu said. “So many good initiatives came from giving students money via the SA40K. That shouldn’t be a one time thing. Making something like that happen on a regular basis — that’s what the SA is for.”

Venkateswar said the projects she tackled as a senator were particularly suited to preparing someone for EVP and that she will apply the lessons learned working on REF to ensure changes come to pass.

“I want to continue initiatives like blanket tax reformation and parking and look at tangible things to do in the short term,” Venkateswar said. “I also want to take the ideas REF came up with and implement those ideas over the long term. We’re at a unique point where [both students and administration are] in agreement that something needs to change.”

Liu said her role as treasurer allowed her to work closely with the Blanket Tax Crack Team and contribute to the final SA40K proposal. Venkateswar said, as a senator, she has contributed more to legislation, including the initiative for oral communication courses in different schools of study.

“I’m uniquely qualified because I took the senate position not just as, ‘Let me represent McMurtry,’ but I took it as, ‘What do I see in the Rice community?’” Venkateswar said. “It’s about noticing specific things and saying, ‘I can make a difference here.’”

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