Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Jennifer Hietpas Student Senate presidential candidate Ray French assembles campaign signs Saturday in the basement of Murray Hall.

Media Credit: Jennifer Hietpas French and vice presidential candidate Meghan Charlier will be placing the flourescent green and pink signs on campus today.

With Student Senate elections for the 51st session this week, senior Ray French and freshman Meghan Charlier are poised to become the body's next president and vice president.

With no other names on the ballot for these positions, French and Charlier have begun spreading their platform around campus.

French and Charlier have five points to their platform. The first is to extend the hours of Student Health Service. The office is currently open 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, times when students have to choose betweeen going to class or going to health services, French said.

"I believe that the student body can't make it to those times, we need it to be more convenient," he said.

The second item on the French-Charlier platform is to partially subsidize theater tickets. Prices currently range from $5 to $6. French said if tickets went down to $2 or $3, they would be more affordable to students and could create more interest.

The duo also wants to create a course syllabus database that would provide students with a professor's syllabus from the current semester. Students would have the resource available when they register for classes for every upcoming semester, French said.

"(We want this for students) so they know what's going on in the class and know what to expect," he said. "You have syllabus in front of you - every student will be aware - there would be a disclaimer that (the syllabus) is subject to change. (It would be a) beneficial resource for students."

Charlier said right now students can use the Web site RateMyProfessors.com to get information about the professors or specific classes, but this would be easier when students go to pick their classes.

Charlier also said she felt the syllabus database would not put pressure on professors to market themselves or their classes.

"From my perspective, I want to see this," she said. "Teachers don't have to market to me, I want to be in school and be a good student. For good students it will be very beneficial.

Charlier said the positives outweigh the negatives with the course syllabi available to all students prior to the first day of class.

"The teacher is going to say, 'Hey this is my class - whether you like it or not, this is what it is,' " she said. "The good students out there who want to know what classes will benefit them."

The fourth point of the French and Charlier platform is to promote the diversity of thought. "The future of diversity is not based on color but on intellectual, cultural and socio-economic differences," according to their Web site.

French said the push of focus always tends to be visual diversity at Eau Claire.

"We need something a little more attainable," he said. "We are western Wisconsin. We need diversity all around and expand horizons to better people for the society."

The final item of the platform is to continue the Davies Center Building Project. The project has been going on for seven years, French said, and now will enter a "critical phase" as the beginning of the design phase is the next step for the committee.

French said the biggest thing is to make sure students remain at the center of the project.

"We're not taking a different direction, we're looking at continuing it," he said.

"We finally have a budget for it, after seven years. (Students) started this project; cutting out now wouldn't be fair. We need make (students) the focal point."

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