Vote for Hanover/Micek
Endorsement
With enthusiasm, a commitment to empowering students and diversity of experience, Hunt Hanover and John Micek have the creative, realistic vision to lead Notre Dame's student government and student body in 2000-01.
In a year when students generally feel uninformed and under-represented, Hanover and Micek combine plans for campus-wide programs with a promise to voice students' opinions and protect their rights.
Calling for campus unity, proactive dialogue and increased student services, this ticket's ideas are innovative yet feasible. The Observer endorses Hunt Hanover and John Micek for student body president and vice president.
In their interview with The Observer, these candidates proved informed and engaging. Not content simply to deal with unfinished or unrealized tasks of previous administrations, the pair offered inventive ideas to drab problems and recognized areas of the University untouched by student-government.
Their call for a Student's Academic Bill of Rights shows commitment to the University's educational mission as well as concern for fairness across departmental and class boundaries. Their dedication to issues like eating disorders, the Women's Resource Center, 24-hour space, diversity and press rights means they haven't limited the possible extent of their influence.
Hanover and Micek also are committed to increasing communication among students, administrators, faculty and student government by improving personal and Internet contact. Their own ability to communicate with each other as good friends further demonstrates their commitment to honest and effective communication.
They promise to echo the students' voice to University leaders — something they believe the Murphy/Palumbo administration generally fails to do — and to make students aware of pending decisions regarding student life. Calling for a student member on the Board of Trustees, these candidates realistically see barriers to that goal; in the case a student trustee is not appointed, they plan to work with young-alumni trustees to offer current students' views to the board.
While both have extensive student government experience, Hanover and Micek have trod in realms of the Notre Dame community often not traversed by traditional student representatives. Involved in varsity athletics — Hanover in basketball and Micek in golf — and active in clubs and organizations, these candidates offer knowledge of the community unavailable to most employees of LaFortune's second floor.
Hanover, a junior finance and government major, currently serves as assistant chief of staff for the Murphy/Palumbo administration. He has served on junior class council, as sophomore class president and led freshman religious and diversity retreats. A St. Edward's Hall resident, Hanover also heads the chess club.
A finance major, Micek is junior class president. He served as Keough Hall co-president as a sophomore and is a tutor in South Bend's Hispanic community outreach program, El Buen Vecino.
While this ticket boasts extensive experience in programming, Hanover/Micek does lack the policy-making knowledge of other tickets, including O'Donoghue/Norton and Osborne/Donahey. This should not prove detrimental to the team's overall objectives if educated appointments are Hanover/Micek's first order of business.
Surrounded by people who have worked extensively with the student union constitution, Hanover and Micek will expedite their plans, making implementation of projects like "The Shirt" for men's and women's basketball and free tutoring for all students more probable.
Hanover and Micek recognize students' current discontent with their lack of influence in University decisions and the growing need for augmented campus services. A strong, dynamic team, they are dedicated to tackling campus issues in a realistic, timely and innovative manner.
Their commitment to excellence secures Hanover and Micek as the best candidates to represent Notre Dame's student body in the first years of the new millennium.
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, February 10, 2000
