Student Government Association campaign season is in full swing, and with elections fast approaching, candidate Dan Cato is making moves to be in the race at the finish line.
Cato, a political science and economic junior who’s been campaigning since late February for Senator-at-large, said many of the candidates are focusing on the same issues, but what sets him apart is his push for advising reform.
‘A lot of schools have an unstructured advisory system, so it creates a lot of bad advisers that give bad information. So one of the things I’m pushing for is reform with advisers,’ Cato said.
Cato said he, like many students, has watched the campus grow and wants to see more done about parking issues. He said as the campus gets bigger, parking becomes more and more of an issue.’
‘I would push for a university bill advocating more efficient garages, by encouraging the implementation of an ‘EZ Tag’ system for new and existing garages as well as electronic counters on each floor to help students know where space is available,’ Cato said.’
‘For our existing parking lots, I would push for a review of car space management, making sure that each lot is maximizing its space to the fullest potential, while still providing for adequate maneuverability. There are no easy answers to this tough problem, but it doesn’t mean there are no answers.’
Tech-savvy Cato said one of the most important things in the campaign is communication, so he set up his own Web site, which has his take on the election issues.’
Cato also set up accounts on Facebook, Wiggio and Twitter, which he said makes him easily available for students to get in touch with him.’
If elected senator, Cato said he would make every bill he approves public, so students have a chance to talk about campus issues, instead of being blindsided on the day they are to be considered by SGA.
Cato said he is the election underdog because he’s not as widely known through campus as his opponents, who are running with the support of larger parties while he is an independent. Still, he said students should not count him out because of lack of experience.’
‘A lot of times, these senators get in and they focus on one issue and they don’t ever have any innovation.’ They don’t have any more original ideas, so sometimes getting somebody from outside SGA is good because you have new blood, new ideas – a little more originality.’
The election is set to take place Wednesday and Thursday. UH students can vote online at www.atstudentelection.uh.edu with their PeopleSoft numbers.’
