Editor,
In running for GPSA president, I have not once referenced the current GPSA president, and the idea that I am running against her is confusing and inaccurate.
I decided to run for GPSA president because I believe that GPSA needs more input from the student body. I believe that the organization should revolve less around the president and instead should focus on GPSA being an organization equally dependent on the president and the GPSA Council.
I spent the last year as a GPSA council representative and the last six months with members of a committee examining the GPSA constitution.
I have spent more than 100 hours of unpaid time working with this committee. I am vested in GPSA, and I believe more can be done to make it a more representative organization.
While my reasons for running for GPSA president began only after becoming involved in the GPSA Council, my passion for being involved with the University as a student leader has an extended history.
The attempt to discredit a student because of their past involvement as a student leader is unwarranted.
The GPSA president’s article Thursday focused on important issues that our University faces. While many may have had a difficult time in drawing the connections between a series of statistics, the main point that resonated seemed to be that I do not have the same academic priorities. This is simply not true.
Our University should focus more on academics.
More should be done to retain faculty and recruit leaders in their respective fields. GA/TA positions are vital and should not be reduced. Administrative spending should be more transparent and evaluated to ensure that tuition is being spent in the areas that matter most. I agree with these points.
My approach to these issues focuses on the idea that GPSA needs to be a more unified voice. As a council representative, I understand the importance of an organization that includes department and campus representatives.
GPSA must refocus on the organization and not primarily on the executive.
Like the GPSA president, I appreciate efforts to hold those who collect our money accountable. We must start in GPSA before we can criticize larger organizations’ accountability. I think it would be hypocritical to advocate for the University administration to tighten its belt if GPSA doesn’t do the same.
My concern is that GPSA and its structure are not conducive to an organization that is supposedly representing more than 6,000 students.
If involving a representative body offends the current president of an executive-focused organization, that was not my intent.
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My intent is to promote the idea that GPSA needs to include the GPSA Council more and not revolve around an individual and their agenda.
The GPSA structure needs to change, and that change should come from someone with a vision and a plan of creating a more representative organization.
Joseph Dworak
GPSA Presidential Candidate
