Readers of Innermost Parts, I need your help.
I’m running for Student Union President. You’ve been reading my writing every day for possibly years now. I would hope by now that you’d know who I am and what I’m about enough to enthusiastically support me.
Listen, polls open in 33 hours.
In 33 hours, students will start voting for their choice of Student Union President.
I need your help. My campaign strategy revolves around you. Can you please take a few hours Monday or Tuesday, and dormstorm? Knocking on doors and talking about why are supporting me is the most effective thing you can do right now (along with inviting all your friends on facebook and changing your facebook status, etc).
Please, can you commit a few hours of your day tomorrow and more hours on tuesday to helping me knock on doors and meet voters? Victory depends on you. Click here to let us know when you’ll be free.
I’ve talked to a lot of people today, and here’s what I said:
Do you remember when the Muslim Student Association was vandalized? I bet you felt the same way I did – hurt, shocked, and powerless to do anything about it. After the story broke, I kept waiting for the union or the administration to do something about it, call a meeting, anything. Instead they just sent out an email. I was tired of waiting, and a couple of friends and I wrote an open letter of love and solidarity to the Muslim Community that you can read here. In 24 hours, 600 of us signed the letter, and 100 of us showed up to a hastily-organized rally to personally hand-deliver it.
That was powerful, positive, and real. When we delivered those messages – when we embraced our friends and classmates – we were the Student Union, even if we didn’t work through the official channels of a student government. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on this campus.
The union should’ve done it. If they did, it would’ve been more well-known, more positive energy, maybe it would’ve snowballed into something great. We’ll never know. That’s why I’m running: the union can do more than just beg for goodies from the administration. It can build our community and tear down the walls between us.
How I’ll get things done:
I think it’s a bit silly for candidates to talk about what they’ll do for you. If I win, I’m going to steal my opponents ideas! A good idea is a good idea, no matter who proposes it – and I’m looking forward to hearing yours. I do have lots of good ideas – for example, one small thing I want to do is have a blog – nothing fancy. But every day I’ll write about who I talked to, what we talked about, and what’s on the agenda. It won’t be hard to do, but it will dramatically open up the union and give students the information they need to get involved. If you’re interested in my platform, you can check out my website. Instead, I think it’s much more important to talk about my theory of change – how will I get things done?Throughout my time here at Brandeis, it seems that the Union thinks that it has 2 options when the administration says “no” to things. Either the union can cave and say “thank you sir may I have another?” or it could try yelling louder.
There is a third way! That way is smart, effective community organizing. It’s harder than yelling, but it might actually make change happen. I am a community organizer, and for three years I have worked from the outside of the Union to make change.
Throughout my time here at Brandeis, I’ve worked to empower the student body, to stiffen the spine of the Union, and to promote our shared Brandeis ideals. Yet the challenges that we faced in my freshman year, we still face today. As President, I will open up your Student Union. We will work together to stand up to the administration, and to tear down the walls between us. If you share my hopes for the future of the Union please join my facebook group and tell all your friends.
I really need your help to make this vision possible. Please, let all your friends know why you are voting for me, and then tell some strangers.
Thanks!