Tyrik Jiang's Responses

Tyrik Jiang

History Major

1. Out of all the 16,000 students on campus, what makes you the most deserving student to influence the more $3.1 million budget funded by our student activity fee?

I do believe that through my experience with USG, my experience with student government from high school all the way to college, and the fact that I have worked with many clubs and organizations and assisted many students on campus with their needs, that makes me very qualified to represent all students of Stony brook university. I am also familiar with the financial records and allocation system used by the USG, so I am well acquainted with our budget and even our internal expenses and thus will be able to better understand how to use the money more efficiently in the future.

2. What experience do you bring to the position you are running for? Why are you qualified?

I am currently serving as a class representative in the Stony Brook USG, and I am also a member of the USG Executive council. I am also a non-voting member of the USG Senate. I have been in Student Government positions from freshman year of high school all the way to college so I can say that I am a veteran of student government politics and with working with administration.

3. Is this your first time getting involved in USG? If so, why are you interested in getting involved? If not, why do you wish to be involved again?

The reason why I enjoy being part of the USG is because I consider the USG my club. While everyone else may have interests such as skateboarding, community service, and gaming, I personally like working in the political atmosphere that the USG offers. I also plan to attend law school and be a lawyer, so the USG is great practice or a great place to gain some experience in my career choice. I also believe that the only way to make a difference or make a change is to have the power to do so. I shall utilize the power of the undergraduate student government to benefit the student body, provide any resources that they may need and to present their concerns to administration.

4. What do you think is the best thing about USG and if elected, how do you plan to continue that?

Stony Brook’s undergraduate student government is further developed than most student governments in other universities and we serve a greater student body. USG also has created a relationship with administration that is unseen in many colleges in that it is considered an independent agency and has authority to rebel against any unfair administrative policies for the students.

5. On a scale of 9-10* (10 being the highest) how successful were the past two semesters for USG?

OMIT

6. What are USG’s biggest flaws, and how do you plan to correct those? For those currently in USG, what have you done to try to correct those flaws?

The major flaw of USG is their lack of recognition by the students. Many students fail to recognize or understand what USG is or does. During my time in office, I have worked on a presentation that will be presented at orientations for incoming freshman so that they may understand who and what USG is. After 4 academic years, every single person who attends Stony Brook shall be aware of USG. In addition to this, I am working on a massive advertising if elected because I believe that there is no point of doing anything if no one knows what is going on and how does it affect them.

7. Do you think it’s right for USG to give SAB the same budget next year despite a surplus of over 100,000 for this year?

As a candidate for the VP of Student Life position and as a potential chair of SAB, I believe that if SAB were given the same budget next year, I shall ensure that the money shall be invested in the best interest of students and is utilized efficiently. I shall also ensure that all money is accounted for and any allocations shall be presented to all students to see. If however, there is a decrease in SAB’s budget, I shall ensure that we stay within our budget to provide campus entertainment to all students on campus to promote campus and weekend life.

8. Do you think that putting on successful campus events should be prioritized over increasing clubs’ budgets?

I personally believe that those two things should not be prioritized over another. A lot of the events that we hold on campus are club sponsored or the ideas came from clubs and other organizations. In fact I would personally like clubs to contribute to our campus events and work together on them.

9. Representing the student body sometimes means taking a firm stance against administration policies. How willing are you to speak up on behalf of the student body, even when it means conflicting with administrators?

I am very experienced with speaking to administrators. I have worked with administrators from DoIT all the way to HSC. I am comfortable with speaking to administrators on behalf of students and I do believe that the administration is composed of logical people, so calm and smartly defended arguments will always turn out results that will benefit both parties. However, if necessary, I am more than willing to argue against any injustice imposed by administration on behalf of the student body