By Elaine Gu & Alan Liang

Gargoyle staff reporters


Posted Monday, April 23, 2007, The OG, news

STUDENT COUNCIL EXECUTIVE officers will be elected Tuesday in voting that will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the kitchen.

All Uni students except seniors are eligible to vote for candidates for the three offices: president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer.

Junior Micah Berman is running unopposed for StudCo executive president. Junior Shara Esbenshade is unopposed for executive secretary/treasurer. Juniors Ranny Ma and Suran Yoo are competing for executive vice president.

Each candidate provided Student Council with brief biographical statements, which we are reprinting for the convenience of student voters.

EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT

Micah Berman

My name is Micah Berman and I am running for executive president of Student Council for the 2007-2008 school year. As president of Student Council, I see my primary responsibilities as: running organized and effective meetings, overseeing all class officers and providing them with tools and guidance to help them in their work, and working with all members of the Uni High community, including the administration, staff, and parents, to make sure Student Council gets the information they need to make successful decisions. Of course, it is Student Council, and I believe that my ties with many students at Uni provide me with an invaluable source of information and input. As president, I would work particularly hard to bridge the divide between officers at different class levels, because a unified decision-making body is always more effective.

My experience on Student Council both my sophomore and junior years (as class president) provided me with the knowledge of how Student Council works that is necessary to be an effective leader. In addition to experience, my dedication to service as well as my good interpersonal and organizational skills will be tools essential to my success as a student leader. I would relish the opportunity to serve you and the rest of the Uni High student body as Student Council president next year. Thank you for your time!

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Ranny Ma

If I were the executive vice president of our school, we would all have an outstanding year. My name is Ranny Ma, and my sheer talent for interaction, unparalleled dedication to each and every one of you, and unquestionable vision to make your school-going experience memorable qualifies me to be your devoted, hard-working
executive vice president. Unlike other possible candidates, I promise, as executive vice president, that I will spare no effort and personal expense in making what you want happen.

The truth is, being the executive vice president is a tough task. It requires a lot of skills that cannot be learned overnight. I truly believe that I have what it takes because I have been the class vice president for two years now and I know the ins and outs of the job.

Furthermore, my fellow class officers, Micah and Shara, are both running for executive positions as well. We three have worked together for two years. We have planned numerous dances (including prom), organized fun X-Week activities (water balloon fights, anyone?), and hosted many other successful events. I would like to take that a step further next year so the entire school can enjoy what we have to offer. You can make that happen. Things can only get better. I trust in you to make the right decision. Vote Ranny Ma.

Suran Yoo

My name is Suran Yoo and I am a junior in the graduating Class of 2008. Although I have no previous experience in Student Council for the executive vice president position, I feel that I have a lot of other advantages to offer to the Uni community.

First of all, I would be willing to take on full responsibility of vice president to serve my school the best that I can. I would be very dedicated and always open to opinions of any student. Having attended Uni for four years, I know very well that constant communication and close connection with other people are essential for any efficient and productive organization, including Student Council.

Secondly, I believe that with little experience also comes no knowledge of boundaries. In the 1970s, Carl Woese unveiled his discovery of an entire new class of living organisms with little expertise in biology. He was able to accomplish this in part because of his creativity and willingness to risk trying new things and experiment. Similarly, Student Council can also branch even further than student decision-making when fresh new ideas are provided. Uni is a small school and offers a lot of freedom that can be harnessed. I would be willing to encourage and produce new activities, and, in addition, address other aspects that could be better from the opinions of the students in the school.

Overall, I strongly believe that I would be an excellent candidate for Student Council executive vice president and would be privileged to help take on the responsibility, along with creative responsibility of Uni.

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/TREASURER

Shara Esbenshade

I am running for executive secretary/treasurer. I have been secretary/treasurer for the Class of 2008 since our sophomore year. I am organized, reliable, and take the activities and projects I am involved in seriously. If elected, my job would be to take minutes at every meeting and send them out to the student body. But if elected I would do more: my best to bring focus and energy to Student Council meetings so
that we may adequately address whatever is brought before us. I would make a greater effort to encourage students to go to Student Council with ideas or for funding needs. Start another club! Put on an event! Student Council's role is to provide the funds for student activities, and we should be encouraging such activities, not discouraging them with apathy or stinginess.

As my class's representative, I have worked hard with Micah and Ranny over the past two years to put on fun class-bonding events — picnics, capture the flag, movie nights — and recently to put together events for Class Wars and X-Week. We have spent the bulk of our efforts this year on making the 2007 prom the best one yet. I know that the students are teeming with brilliant ideas for school-related clubs and activities, such as using the plots of land between Uni and the gym for gardening.
These are the types of activities that I think Student Council should support, and I will take an active role next year in making Student Council an open space for such ideas to surface and be realized. Don't forget to vote Tuesday!

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2006 candidate coverage: StudCo executive president

2006 candidate coverage: StudCo executive vice president

2006 candidate coverage: StudCo executive secretary/treasurer