ASSU President Hershey Avula ‘08 and Vice President Mondaire Jones ‘09 have already taken steps to accomplish their campaign promises. In an email to The Daily, they detailed their accomplishments thus far, as well as their plans for the upcoming year.

The Daily: What should incoming freshmen know about the ASSU? What are its strengths and weaknesses in regard to addressing students’ concerns?

Avula/Jones: Freshmen should know that the ASSU represents all of them. It stands for the Associated Students of Stanford University and is meant to advocate on behalf of all student interests. The strengths are that it represents all students and is the most powerful advocacy group on campus. We also have the resources and passionate leaders a group needs to accomplish change at Stanford and address students’ concerns. The biggest weakness is that students often do not feel comfortable coming to the ASSU and often do not know what it really does. Also, because we are supposed to represent all students, we sometimes fail to direct adequate attention to niche groups of students.

The Daily: Since freshman year, you’ve both been involved in various aspects of the ASSU. How will you apply what you have learned to your leadership in the coming year?

Avula/Jones: We hope to apply [what we’ve learned] toward increasing the credibility of the ASSU as a beacon of student advocacy and are proud to see the successes we have already achieved over the spring and summer quarters in areas like cost of living, Old Union and social programming.

The Daily: During your campaign, you mentioned several lofty goals, such as expanding study abroad, encouraging sustainability and promoting graduate and faculty diversity. Is it really in your power to make these happen? What practical steps will you take?

Avula/Jones: Our most important promise is to give these projects our best effort, and — at the risk of sounding radical — that could mean anything legal and within reason.

The Daily: One of your goals was to create an ASSU-sponsored airport shuttle. Are you considering any changes to this plan in light of the trial run in June?

Avula/Jones: Certainly. The trial run, while successful in light of the constraints it faced, can stand to be improved. We expect the Thanksgiving period to increase the numbers we saw in the spring drastically. We also are considering asking Parking & Transportation Services to subcontract a different company.

The Daily: It seems like a lot of students are behind reviving Course Guide. Could you explain what this is to freshmen and the practical steps you’ll take to bring it back?

Avula/Jones: Actually, we have already taken the steps necessary to revive the Course Guide. Check one off on our long list of things to do, I guess. The Registrar has made a commitment to the ASSU Executives that course evaluation data will be available to students online through Axess beginning in the fall. For all incoming frosh: the Course Guide used to be a copy of student reviews of classes. The new Course Guide will be available online and will allow all students to see how their peers evaluated the content of each course and the professors who taught them.

The Daily: You mentioned another Stanford tradition, Big Game Bonfire. What obstacles will you have to overcome to revive this event as well?

Avula/Jones: To be honest, the obstacles standing in the way of the Big Game Bonfire are both numerous and substantial. For starters — and this is probably most important — we were recently told we couldn’t do the bonfire by Stanford’s senior land use group. To make up for this, we’re working with the Stanford Concert Network to ensure an amazing Big Game Concert as well as organizing a memorable Row Block Party that same weekend.

The Daily: What are your goals in relation to the Office of Student Affairs (OSA)?

Avula/Jones: For starters, we hope to serve as an effective mediator between student groups and the OSA. More specifically, we hope to work with the OSA on its plan to create a new Web site that will take to heart many of the suggestions brought forth by students at last spring’s Dean of Students SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats) sessions. We hope this Web site will go a long way toward making policies more transparent and easily accessible to students, as well as create a forum for complaints.

The Daily: In your opinion, what accomplishments will make this year at Stanford a success?

Avula/Jones: Restoring the credibility of the ASSU through successful advocacy work and relatively flawless, large-scale social events; making the new Old Union the hub of student life on campus; more programs that reduce costs for students; successful promotion of the sustainability ideal; getting the University to adopt more practical and visible steps toward improving faculty and graduate student diversity; a greater focus on graduate student advocacy issues; making students feel comfortable coming to the ASSU with their concerns; and, while we have no control over this, Stanford going to a bowl game!