Candidate column: John Fields

[alert type=”yellow”]EDITOR’S NOTE: The Cougar asked each SGA presidential candidate to write an op-ed indicating what they would do if they were elected. Here is PowerHouse candidate John Fields.[/alert]

If you see a flyer for PowerHouse anywhere on campus, you will notice that three words follow our party name every time: experience, dedication, and service. My running mate Vidha Dixit and I believe these words define the most important qualities of a president and vice president.

Experience: With our extensive experience in SGA, we are the most qualified candidates in this race. We have a comprehensive plan and understand how to effectively complete all of our objectives. Words and promises are empty if you do not have the experience and determination to accomplish them.

Dedication: Our vision and goals for improving UH cannot be accomplished without our dedication to seeing them through to fruition. There will not be a single day when we do not fight to ensure that every student’s voice is heard.

Service:  The motto of SGA is “Service Above Self,” but unfortunately in the past, service has been drowned out by personal ambition. On the last day of our administration, we want to look back and know that every day we sacrificed all we could to make service to our fellow students our first priority.

We understand that our responsibilities to you are too extensive and too important to focus our entire campaign on only a couple of items. If Vidha and I have the privilege of representing you in the upcoming year, we have an extensive agenda and plan prepared so that we can begin working for you from day one.  This part of our agenda is just a small highlighted portion of what we will accomplish this year.

• Fight increasing tuition & decrease student fees: We cannot let UH become a school only for those who can afford an expensive education. Our reputation is built on being an affordable Tier One institution. The moment we let tuition skyrocket is the moment that we betray every single student who would not be at UH if it cost as much as A&M or UT. I worked with SGA last year to actually lower the amount of student fees SGA received in order to lower student fees.

• Enacting grade replacement: This is the only fair solution for our students taking our University’s hardest classes. By allowing students to replace their grade when retaking a class, we support student success and give our students a better chance of getting the career or graduate school placement they need to succeed after college.

• Improving academic advising: Too many students have to spend more money and time at UH due to poor advising. We know from personal experience how ineffective many advisors are, which is why we are committed to improving advising across every college.

• Supporting better Dining Options: We want to bring more food trucks to campus to make the food options more diverse. The path to better dining on campus is building relationships with Aramark and working with our local community of food trucks and restaurants.

• Supporting Realistic Parking Solutions: It is easy to talk about parking as if it can be fixed overnight. The reality is that it is an evolving issue that has been years in the making. Unless we elect students who are familiar with the intricacies of parking and administration, UH students ten years from now are going to be facing the same problems we are facing today.

This is an important time for the University, and it is critical that the most experienced candidates with the best plan serve the students of UH. On behalf of Vidha and the rest of PowerHouse, we would be privileged to have the opportunity to serve you this year. #VotePOWERHOUSE

John Fields is an accounting and taxation junior and is running for SGA president.