The Maroon received this unsolicited letter from several current SG members.

With elections starting this Tuesday, we would like to endorse LIVEChicago Slate for the 2011 Student Government Election because we believe they are the only credible, experienced, and diverse slate to carry out the vision of Student Government. (Attached is the full list of endorsements.)

Our coalition of supporters believes that LIVEChicago provides practical and high-impact solutions to many of the problems facing the student body. David Chen, current vice-president of administration, says, “Because I have worked with members of LIVEChicago, I strongly believe that their experiences in student funding and working with Administration will ensure their success.” Part of the slate’s responsibility consists of not only proposing new ideas, but also in building off the momentum from previous slates. UBazaar, which was started by Chris Williams, vice-president of student affairs 2009-2010, had numerous difficulties before Youssef Kalad took on the challenge. Thanks to Youssef’s leadership and perseverance, TedxUChicago, SASA, UChicago for Pakistan, Japan Relief, and several other groups were able to sell tickets on this platform to promote student life.

In addition to helping maintain continuity with previous slates, Forrest Scofield is working to provide new resources for students to pursue their passions. Despite being a first-year, Forrest has taken initiative in connecting undergraduates to their graduate counterparts. Whether it has been through Student Government Finance Committee (SGFC), the Uncommon Fund, or the Booth Polsky Center, Forrest has worked to bring together graduates and undergraduates over shared ideas and passions. The results have been outstanding: SGFC has funded more graduate events then ever, Uncommon Fund applications have more than tripled, and the Polsky Center has connected more than a dozen Booth mentors with undergraduate entrepreneurs.

While Youssef and Forrest share a great deal of Student Government experience, Meher Kairon offers a unique RSO background that is often missing from Student Government slates. Having served as Assistant Chair to MUNUC and been involved with Global Brigades, Student for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and ChoMUN, she has experienced firsthand the realities that students face when trying to put on events for their RSO. Meher aims to use her position on the administrative side to make the RSO experience easier and more enjoyable for students. Additionally, she is keen to work on projects that give students the opportunity to engage with the city more.

We believe LIVEChicago will continue the tradition of previous slates, while providing new ideas that will help build the next generation of student government.

David Chen, Vice-President of Administration, SGFC Adviser, Uncommon Fund Chair, Annual Allocations Adviser

Patrick Ip, Vice-President of Student Affairs, CORSO Adviser, PCC Chair

Marie Joh, Student Government Finance Committee Chair, Annual Allocations Chair, Major Activities Board Chair

Alison Baulos, Graduate Council Chair

Nakul Singh, Third-year Representative

Pamela Villa, Third-year Representative, Campus Dining Advisory Board Committee Member

Travis Benaiges, Second-year Representative

Katie Burkhart, First-year Representative, Interim CORSO Chair

Alex Bennett, First-year Representative, Inter-House Council Liaison