PU Candidate Profile: Toby McDonald

Editor's Note: The Poly sent a questionnaire to every candidate that had filed to run for GM, PU, and UP prior to Spring break. Below are the unedited responses from PU candidate Toby McDonald '26.

Why do you want to be President of the Union?

I am looking to ensure that the Union continues to effectively represent the needs of its organizations and the student body through the effective operations of the union and execution of its policies through the executive board and its committees.

What qualifies you to be President of the Union?

During my time at RPI I have become acutely aware of the inner working of the Union, I have developed necessary relationships within the administration of the institute, and I am experienced in carrying out effective executive management of organizations of many sizes including those larger than the Union.

Name three short-term goals (within your term of office) and three long-term goals (beyond your term of office) that you have for the Executive Board.

In the short term, I intend, first and foremost, on improving the transparency and communication between the student government and the student body, not only to improve the accountability of the student government, but also to be able to effectively solicit feedback and opinions from students & Union Organizations to ensure that we are effectively representing their interests. I also intend, in the short term, to drive engagement of Union Alumni, as there are many who would love to continue to support many of their past clubs and organizations, especially as mentors and advisors, but have become a severely underutilized resource due to current policies. Finally, in the short term, I intend to adjust certain fiscal policies & practices to ensure that the Union remains financially sustainable and handles student and donor dollars in a fiscally responsible manner.

In the long term, I intend to work alongside the grand marshal, the senate, and other applicable student leaders to make sure that the Union continues to support the various student organizations within RPI’s Greek system. I also intend to set the groundwork to improve and revitalize Union facilities, especially the playhouse which has remained unsafe for occupation for several years. Finally, following my previous proposal to extend union hours, I also intend to work to gradually extend hours so that we can eventually return to a 24-hour Union.

For more information on my goals and platform, please reference the Election Commission website: https://elections.union.rpi.edu/candidate/mcdont7/platform

In your own words, what do you feel are the roles of the President of the Union and the Union Executive Board? Do you think the current Executive Board is fulfilling that role? If any, what changes could be made?

The role of the Executive Board, and, by extension as the presiding officer, the President of the Union, is to oversee the operations of the Union (including its other facilities such as the Mueller Center, Playhouse, & 87 Gym) and the execution of policy as set by the Student Senate. This important role is intended to be done in the best interests of, and representing, the student body and the many organizations which make up the Union. While I believe our current board has adequately overseen the operations of the Union, I do also believe that it has largely been done in a manner which does not adequately represent the student body. In changing this, I believe it is crucial that students & organizations be made aware of motions well in advance of those motions being heard and that adequate methods for collecting their feedback be put in place so that decisions made can truly be made in a manner that represents the interests of the student body.

What do you think are the incumbent President of the Union’s strengths and weaknesses? What would you do to improve upon them if you were elected?

Cat has many, many strengths, particularly in maintaining interpersonal relationships, but one area of short coming this term has definitely been in the area of effective communication, which has been the root of many of the issues this term, including with appointments being confirmed by senate at the start of her term or RUGP approval latter on. Similarly, Cat has at time lacked carrying herself a certain degree of authority, which in many ways has been great for allowing committees to function without being micromanaged, but has conversely resulted, at times, in meetings becoming derailed or for some members of the board to become disruptive, as happened early in her term.

What does the club-Executive Board representative relationship look like? What should it look like?

Presently, there are many club officers who view the relationship as adversarial, viewing the board as an entity restricting what they can do, and viewing working with the board like having to go to the DMV. In reality, this relationship should be much more of a partnership, where the board is invested in the success of their clubs and their club’s goals. Ideally, this relationship would result in the board being able to support their clubs proactively. This issue really comes down to just how the board communicates with clubs.

How would you evaluate the current Union budget situation? What do you foresee as future budget concerns?

As it stands, higher education across the nation is in crisis with decreasing enrollment, and while RPI is in a position to be able to weather it, we will none the less feel the effects of this here and may already be. For an organization like the Union that is primarily funded through student fees, this means that we will see the impact of that decrease in enrollment in the form of decreased revenue, which, if not properly accounted for, could cause the Union to run out of money. Fortunately for us, this is something that has already begun to be addressed in the Union’s budgeting, but it is also a problem that will only get worse before it gets better. Most likely at some point in the next decade, before returning to normal, there will likely be a year or two where an increase in fees or painful budget cuts will need to happen, so it is important that we take appropriate actions over the next few fiscal years to mitigate the impact when that does happen. Such actions include things like identifying and reducing redundant or wasteful spending, making certain facilities upgrades to reduce operating expenses, and effectively engaging our donors. Having recently finished paying off the mortgage on the Union will also certainly help in mitigating the effects of this impending drop in revenues.

How do you intend to encourage students to fully utilize the resources of the Union?

The biggest cause, by far, of students underutilizing the resources & opportunities of the Union is a lack of adequate awareness. In the 2 weeks leading up to GM Week 2023, I developed a technique to promote GM Week to the student body, successfully returning the event to being a household name from what poll data just weeks before indicated was an event the majority of students were unaware of or had forgotten. This resulted in that year’s event becoming the most well attended GM Week since the committee began collecting data on attendance, and I intend to utilize the same techniques to help make students aware of what the Union can offer them.

How do you plan to engage with the president of the Institute and the rest of Institute administration?

Over the last 2 and a half years, I have developed a strong working relationship with institute administrators from across departments, and utilizing these existing relationships, I intend to further the success of my goals above and the Union itself through the support of the Institute, so that we can most effectively serve the student body.

What qualities should a leader have? How are you a leader?

There are many qualities that are critical to a leader, but two that stand out in particular for such a role are Accountability and Servant Leadership. Fundamentally, the role of the Executive Board, and even more so the President of the Union is to serve the student body, which is not something that can be done effectively without the President of the Union being directly and individually accountable to the student body for not just the President of the Union’s own actions, but for the collective action of the board as a whole. I have, for a long time, been a strong advocate for transparency and accountability among leadership of any organization I have been a part of, especially those in which I have held any degree of leadership. Similarly, I have always pushed to lead in a servant-leadership manner, which is critical to being able to lead a successful team, but especially in effectively serving the student body, it is critical that all actions be taken with the ultimate goal of supporting the interests of the whole student body before your own.