Gusmorino, Lee Prepare to Take the Wheel

If last year was the year of Undergraduate Council infighting, this year, council members are hoping for a fresh start.

With no impeachment hearings on the agenda, council members are rallying around Paul A. Gusmorino '02.

"Paul will be a fantastic administrator and diligent leader. I've always loved watching Paul work. He'll do a great job," predicts Stephen N. Smith '02, who finished second to Gusmorino in the council elections.

"There'll be less tension on the council because Paul is more universally respected for his time commitment," Matthew H. Zanotelli '02, another presidential candidate.

Following last year's election, a group of council members led by campaign workers for rival campaigns tried to impeach newly-elected vice president John A. Burton '01, claiming that he had violated campaign spending limits by taking buttons for campaign use from another student group.

But this year's campaign was much quieter, and Gusmorino, who was endorsed by a majority of current council members, finds a council contented by his victory.

"The council recognizes that they've elected someone who will do the job and do it very well," said member Todd E. Plants '01, who ran for council president last year.

Increasing Communication

Gusmorino says the key to his year in office will be "communication, communication, communication." Outgoing president Fentrice D. Driskell '01 had drawn criticism from council members for proceeding on projects without council input.

"A lot of division and disenfranchisement is created when people don't know what's going on and then feel that they were denied a say," he says. "I'm going to work extra hard to keep everyone informed and involved in the council's projects."

One mechanism Gusmorino plans is a yearlong council calendar to keep track of council initiatives and deadlines. He says he'll also reform the "routine" things the council does, like postering and tabling, in order to distribute the workload evenly among council members.

Gusmorino says he plans to reorganize the council's executive committee to make it more inclusive, but has not yet worked out the details of the plan. It will involve creating a "cabinet" of sorts from both the current executive board and others from both on and off council, Gusmorino says.

He also says he will work closely with student group leaders to improve the council's visibility and reputation on campus.

Another high priority will be moving forward with the council's plans for a concert commission to bring bands and popular musicians to campus. Lee, co-chair of the council's campus life committee, will head up that project.

The Vision Thing

Gusmorino pledges to act on some of the proposals offered by his opponents during the campaign. He says he'll try to boost House Committee funding, a proposal championed by Justin A. Barkley '02, to pursue alternative ways of funding the council as proposed by Smith, and to investigate electoral reforms proposed by B.J. Averell '02.

And Smith says he plans to pursue many of the issues he raised in the campaign during Gusmorino's presidency.

"I hope the coming year's successes will be marked by steps forward in areas where significant impact can be made," Smith says. "If we are the same place this time next year on labor, sexual assault, and public service advocacy, something went wrong."

But some council members say they also hope Gusmorino and Lee will use their posts to articulate stronger stances on issues facing the council.

Some council members criticized Gusmorino during the campaign for dodging controversial topics.

"I would encourage them to be more vocal about their convictions than they perhaps have been in the past," says Jeffrey A. Letalien '01, a longtime council member who managed the Barkley campaign. "They both possess a quiet competence but would be well served by expressing themselves."