In the last three and a half weeks as the game within student government known as elections played out, I had the opportunity to meet many of you and introduce myself and my ideas. Yet it is impossible to reach the entire student body in that time so I would like to briefly introduce my plans and expectations for the next year.

Last week when you voted for President of the Union, you made a financial decision. You and I are now partners in a simple contract. You have entrusted the care of your $490.50 activity fee to me in the next year. In return, I will ensure that the E-Board works to support your interests and your needs through Union services. This agreement will influence our weekly process in every decision we make and every action we take over the next year. In the next three weeks I will be accepting applications and making appointments for 2006-07 E-Board members. I will expect the same level of dedication and sense of responsibility from them as you expect from me. I will also expect these individuals to have their own ideas and motivation for improving the experience the Union provides for you and the rest of the student body.

The next year will require E-Board involvement on a variety of major projects such as the East Campus Athletic Facility, McNeil Room food service upgrades, and the renovation of the Games Room. These projects will have a profound impact on the future of the Union. They will require dedicated involvement from the E-Board and the student body as these projects are reviewed by the appropriate committees. We will also tackle our annual responsibility of budgeting with diligence, ensuring that the Union remains a healthy body capable of supporting our students.

I also have an expectation of you. Get out there and make the most of your money. Your friends and acquaintances are out there doing fun and exciting things; ask about them and then get involved. We as student leaders can only go so far and give out only so many incentives to draw your participation. We have over 160 active clubs on campus, a variety of varsity and club sports teams, a great set of facilities, and it supports a number of events and activities each day. Each of these opportunities presents unique experiences waiting for your participation, go out and take advantage of them.

If there is anyone at RPI who has already exceeded my expectation of students to be involved and making every moment count, it is my friend and former running mate. I am convinced that if you stand at the intersection of 15th and Sage and continuously move towards the loudest sounds, you will eventually come face to face with Carlos Perea. Whether he is cheering, shouting, dancing, signing, or quite literally bouncing off a wall somewhere, you can be sure that wherever he is, there is always fun. For the last three weeks the two of us have spent almost every waking moment together and in that time we have become great friends. He energized every portion of our campaign and impressed me every step of the way. Rising from his experience as the captain of the winning team of Go Be Red, Carlos stepped outside his normal boundaries and decided to work towards a better experience for all students. He epitomizes the attitude every student at RPI should have and it is my hope that more students follow in his footsteps as I expect fantastic things from him regardless of the election results.