Rose wants UA to be a thorn for administration

David Rose wants to be a "leader among leaders, not a politician among politicians." The College junior and Undergraduate Assembly chairperson candidate said yesterday he is ready to ensure that the UA is "a thorn in the administration's side" for student needs. Rose, recently re-elected to his second term on the UA, served as chairperson of the Student Services Task Force this past year and is a member of the Houston Hall Board. He is also involved in community service organizations such as the Penn Volunteer Network. Rose said he wants to change the way the UA is run and perceived on campus by undergraduates. He said the body's past meetings have "not been run professionally, productively, or efficiently." Rose explained that he wants to make sure UA members come to meetings informed about the issues and about student views. He said he wants to "take it to the street" to discover students' views and concerns on large issues, such as the diversification of Locust Walk, and smaller ones, such as installing soda machines in University residences. Rose added that he also wants to recruit students to serve on UA committees in order to increase participation. Rose said the negative student image of the UA comes from "years of ineffective government, where [the UA] claimed victories when we knew we didn't have victories." He pointed out that the oft-cited UA "victory" of petitioning the University Trustees for a low tuition increase is not a real triumph since the petition was too vague, allowing tuition to increase above the inflation rate. Rose said he wants tuition increases to stay on par with inflation. To strengthen relations between the UA and other student government organizations, Rose said the "UA has to do its own job and let everyone else do their own job." He believes he is the best candidate to do the UA's job because he "will actually tell you how to get from A to B." UA members will elect the UA Steering Board on Sunday.

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