To Whom it Concerns:
This year, the American University community is more engaged in the ANC elections than ever before, thanks in large part to the “A Voice 4 U” campaign and our Campus Plan process. The incumbent Commissioner of ANC 3D 02, Tom Smith, has received attention from campus media and other outlets, in which he describes his efforts to reach out to the nearly one thousand students he represents on AU’s North-side of campus. We would like to share another perspective regarding these reports and briefly address the challenges facing the community.
In The Eagle, Smith asserts, “In my four years as an ANC Commissioner, I have reached out to the whole student community through the AU Student Government President to discuss issues of concern to students and to seek opportunities to meet routinely with students.” As former Student Government presidents, we do not find this statement an accurate representation of the facts.
We believe Smith has interest in those he represents, but he has never made a concerted effort to understand his AU constituents. He never directly contacted any member of the Student Government during either of our tenures. There is no need to arrange meetings through “AU administrators at my request,” as he said. Direct contact information for the SG leadership is publicly available on a variety of easy-accessible online media. More importantly, contacting students’ elected leadership is not the only way to understand student concerns: Students are accessible and on-campus all day, every day of the week during the academic year.
During our terms representing and advocating student concerns, we regularly met with our constituents, held town hall meetings and empowered our fellow students to speak for themselves. While our efforts were not perfectly executed or absolutely exhaustive, they were genuine efforts. A representative’s failure to connect directly with their constituents is solely that representative’s responsibility.
On a consequential matter at hand, the Campus Plan process, building new student housing on the Nebraska Avenue parking lot is students’ top priority. Smith opposes that view, even though the only members of his constituency affected by such development are the students who would have the opportunity to live there.
Moreover, we strongly feel that the recent petition filed challenging the conduct of the A Voice 4 U campaign represents the need for new leadership in ANC 3D 02. We support clean elections, but the accusations serve as a political tool to shut students out of the Spring Valley community when they simply want to engage it. Tyler Sadonis is the only candidate in the race for ANC 3D 02 who has actively engaged both the student and non-AU constituents. He has consistently reached out beyond campus, knocking on every door in 3D 02 to hear community concerns. This is the type of leadership needed to bring our community forward as a whole.
We hope that a clear and accurate statement of facts is presented in the future. AU students are part of and invested in their community. We ask for genuine opportunities to share perspectives and information as equally competent and committed neighbors.
Sincerely, Andy MacCracken, SG President 2009-10 Seth Cutter, SG President 2008-09
