24 Comments
Bwog presents the first in a three-part series of interviews with CCSC Presidential candidates, Rebel CC’s Tracy Chung ’08.
How have you been doing?
I’m tired but good – I’ve been up late revamping our website, www.voterebel.com.
How has campaigning been going?
It’s going well. We dorm-stormed John Jay and Carman; freshmen are so open to new ideas. I love meeting new people. We also did the CPU endorsement meeting, which went well. We have been having some trouble with student endorsements – SEEJ endorsed One Columbia without hearing from Rebel. And many groups do not endorse at all, which is really indicative of how CCSC is viewed by the student body. It’s a difficult thing when something that can be a vehicle for change and is not met with a positive reaction.
What made you decide, as a CCSC outsider, to run?
I was going to run for CCSC, actually, as a freshman, but I wanted to take advantage of internships. I’ve done those every semester, but I also sat back and observed how Student Council works, and I noticed problems. The website hasn’t been updated in a year – there are certainly ways that CCSC could be more responsive. People call us “outsiders,” but if you’re accepted to Columbia College, you have shown leadership, you are intellectually capable, you are probably socially capable.
Seth Flaxman had been a CCSC outsider before being elected. How do you think he has done?
He has done an amazing job. It’s funny – students involved with CCSC, when they’re talking to you, give you policy and rhetoric, but they don’t give you specifics. Last semester, I wanted to Pass-Fail a class, but thought I could still keep the grade, so I did. At the end of the semester, I had an A, and tried to keep the grade, but I found out that the policy had only been approved by CCSC, not enacted by the administration.
So you think you can do an effective job?
I know I have the passion and the dedication for it. I think my platform speaks for itself. Having “experience” is always an easy card to play. I understand, from observing, the shortcomings of Student Council. I’m not a complainer who just complains. I’m a complainer who gets things done.
What made you decide to run, and how did you assemble your ticket?
Katrina [Ciraldo ’08] and Paul [Soto ’08] are two of my running mates – I was in Los Angeles with them this summer. And you have to understand, this is something I’ve been talking about for years. My time here has gone by fast, and my friends at other schools have had a lot of events – like Spring Fling at Penn. They come to visit, and I take them downtown. I like exploring the city, but I didn’t want to leave here without trying to change it for the better. Paul encouraged me to run, I got encouragement from friends – one of my friends is on the E-Board right now, and she and the other E-Board members gave me a crash course.
-DPD
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24 Comments
@hmm can we consider that all the candidates have given up a lot for this election they all belong to other student groups and are students besides campaigning.
@--- same with negative comments
also think about who these peoples’ friends are…
@truth you obviously don’t know tracy well if you use the words “nice” and “vanity” to describe her…she has more substance and integrity than anyone i know, doesn’t do anything without the right reasons, and has sacrificed a lot for this election.
@Columbia 08 Nothing screams “integrity” like whining about her opponents not playing fair.
@Columbia 08 I know Tracy and while she’s a nice girl I can’t possibly accept that this campaign is anything other than a result of vanity. She may have some ideas for campus community building but how are we to know that she would actually do any of these things?
@CC 08 She has some pretty specific plans of action…
also michelle’s track record shows that she hasn’t been able to get anything done so why should we trust that she will this upcoming year?
either way its a leap of faith but when you weigh the factors and read their respective platforms, Tracy comes out on top
@who is selby? what the hell? where did this selby thing come from? are we reading the same interview?
@who “Selby” doesn’t actually exist, she’s a fictional tall girl who can do what ever she wants
@in response to #11 To call CCSC an “organization” is to reveal the root of its troubles–that certain so-called “leaders” on campus have chosen to select the student council as their “student group” of choice for their years in college. Yet, it is supposed function is to represent and advocate for what the individual student wants, rather than a sequestered group of students who are not representative of any demographic at all at this school.
What it sounds like she is offering is a genuine alternative.
@"Sequestered"??? Yes, they’re all locked inside a single suite and can never leave. Sounds like more great logic.
Good job though. Great rhetoric.
@well she looks possibly hot. i’ll vote
@questionable logic “And many groups do not endorse at all, which is really indicative of how CCSC is viewed by the student body”
More commonly, boards that don’t endorse do so because they want to stay nonpartisan for the stake of staying nonpartisan. She really tries as hard as possible and grasps at any chance to malign the organization she wants to run.
@re: shame “bwog hounds”? it’d work better in the other order:
you ain’t nothing but a houndbwog… cryin all the time
@omg why are bwog commenters such assholes?
that was a really good interview. i don’t know the girl and i’m senior who won’t be affected by the election, but i think tracy sounds very articulate and capable. she sounds like someone who’s worth supporting– or least respecting, something that annonymous commenters seem to have trouble doing.
@--- you know that messages of support have no credence on the bwog… they just could be posted by the person in question or one of their friends.
@super student But c’mon – she got the “A”, right?
@nut three cheers!
@DoubleNegation her face is so shiny!
@ugh Awful interview. She doesn’t offer any reasons why we should elect her other than:
1. “I have the passion and the dedication for it.”
2. “I’m a complainer who gets things done.”
3. “I didn’t want to leave here without trying to change it for the better.”
Otherwise, it just goes something like… I been pursuing internships my whole time at Columbia. Now I want to add CCSC to my resume.
@it's a shame the michelle diamond wheel is in rotation again, as the bwog hounds are sent to patrol all elections related articles, and send the comments in michelle’s favor.
tracy seems incredibly thoughtful and a welcome departure from what we’ve grown accustomed to on ccsc.
@yikes awful interview. are you kidding??? someone finally says that they want to change things and not encourage this massive repeat of ccsc being in their own little sphere. that’s great!
@tinsley mortimer she just bends over backwards for selby, nothing special
@well... selby is so tall, she gets anything she wants!