With the first Big Debate taking place in a couple of hours the student body’s newsfeed has been inundated with platforms, promises, and even memes. The campaigns have made a substantial effort to communicate their vision of the University under their respective administrations. The Stork has already created detailed profiles on each of the campaigns to ensure that you, the student body, can evaluate which of the candidates will best represent your interests. In summary, the proposals go as follows:
Yellow Team, headed by the now-community development officer (Segovia) Ricardo d’Ambrosio, has a number of small proposals which they say will lead to big changes. In the realm of relations with the administration, Yellow seeks to establish an IE Parliament which would serve as the legislative body of the Student Government; They also suggest the creation of a strict organizational flowchart to, in their word, “start making accountable people inside IE’s administration.” Regarding community ties, the Yellow team promises the continuation of relationships which will bring about more community events in the Madrid campus; On the Segovian front community involvement and “International Days” are seen as the answer to breach the Segovia-IE divide. ‘Here’s To Change’ says Yellow Team as they enter the Debates tonight.
Team White, headed by Adimar Hernandez, has transparency as its first and most important goal. The monthly press conferences seek to ‘Make [it] Clear’ to the administration and the SG the primary grievances of the student body on a monthly basis. On the academic front Team White openly supports the redistribution of financial aid (in light of the COVID-19 outbreak), as well as a standardization of grading policy. Regarding the construction of a community culture on the Madrid campus the team seeks to encourage the creation of clubs and initiatives, and on the Segovian front Team White proposes discounted transportation costs (Renfe and Avanza), as well as encouraging cross institutional interaction. On both campuses the campaign proposes the creation of a Housing Bureau to aid students in finding affordable housing. Team White is sure to make everything clear later tonight.
Team Gold, headed by Lukas Kopperman, posits that their proposals can begin ‘Golden Times’ at IE. One of the team’s signature proposals is extrapolating the IE League, currently in place in the Segovia campus, to the entire university. This two pronged effort, in Kopperman’s view, will not only help to foster a sense of community in the Madrid campus, but also bring sports to the heart of the community. Academically, the team proposes a continuous evaluation of professors through monthly opinion surveys, as well as the harmonization of academic evaluation. Regarding Segovian integration, Team Gold plans to support the opening of volunteer programmes in the community, as well as opening some club events to other institutions, an initiative to be extended to the academic sphere as well. ‘Golden Times’ are sure to be put to a test in the debates tonight.
Team red, headed by Filiberto, seeks to become the shield of the IE community both inside and outside of campus. On the academic front Team Red seeks to implement Degree Ambassadors as well as the standardization of evaluation. In the scope of community development in Madrid the team seeks to ease the Segovia-Madrid transition, as well as celebrating the University’s diversity through a number of events. On the Segovian front the team suggests they will serve as an intermediary regarding housing, and facilitate the organization of events in the Segovian community. By becoming the shield of the IE community Team Red hopes to be a proactive Student government who will defend the interests of students in all contexts. We’ll see how well the shield holds up in the debates.
Team Black, led by Victor Haymann, aims to construct a lasting presence for student government, providing stability in face of the upcoming influx of students stemming from IE’s new building. They want to set up “Student Consultancy Admissions Office” to give current students a voice in the choice of incoming students, along with “Degree Boards” consisting of class representatives, professors, and administration, to improve current degrees before creating new ones. They also seek to increase opportunities and benefits for IE students through partnerships with various corporations, restaurants, and NGOs. Another of their proposals, the “Student Government Fund,” consists of a 20,000 Euro fund raised independently of the administration, granting them more leeway in spending. Tonight, we’ll see how Team Black defends the feasibility of these goals.
