Ryan Bulatao, a second-year civil engineering student, is a
candidate with specific plans for his intended office. Students
should vote for him with the assurance that they are electing an
active and knowledgeable General Representative.
Bulatao may not be issue-oriented, but his previous experience
on USAC’s Finance Committee is evident in his ideas for new
support programming. His plan to hold budget workshops educate
student groups about how activity funds are distributed.
Participants would then be able to formulate an educated response
to USAC’s allocations. Judging from the pervasive ignorance
regarding funding in this year’s candidate pool, such
workshops are sorely needed.
In fact, the greatest strength of Bulatao’s campaign is
that it aims to appeal to the interests of all students, regardless
of his candidacy on the Praxis slate. This particular strength is
embodied in Bulatao’s comprehensive understanding of culture
and diversity. Others frequently limit these nebulous terms to race
or ethnicity, but Bulatao defines culture and diversity broadly, as
they should be defined.
The candidate hopes to achieve unity through diversity by
holding organizational fairs at the beginning of the year to expose
students to the different interests represented on campus. He has
also proposed the creation of diversity forums to foster
communication between student groups.
By emphasizing unity over division, Bulatao’s plans
epitomize the best of the Praxis platform.
While there is a clear need for officers as open-minded as
Bulatao, he still needs to prepare himself to work on the council.
Bulatao is knowledgeable about his personal plans, but he must be
just as enthusiastic about the issues he will deal with as a member
of USAC. If he can think on his feet and develop strong arguments
on the wide range of issues facing student government, Bulatao will
be a real asset to his constituents.