The A.S. programmer is a position in which each student should have a vested interest, as the impact of the A.S. programmer’s work is felt directly on campus. With that in mind, the Guardian feels confident that incumbent Assistant Co-Programmer Eisha Christian will be able to make the transition to the next level as programmer and end the bad feelings between her office and the student body.
Christian, running of the Unity slate, has worked in the programming office for almost a full year and has experience working with bands, agents and the A.S. Council. She knows what is expected of her and how to accomplish what she needs to accomplish. Now it is only a matter of accomplishing the lofty goals she has set for herself.
The Guardian likes Christian’s idea of bringing in corporate sponsors for shows, as it would increase the money that could be offered to the bands. At a school criticized for lack of entertainment on campus, this solution may be the best way to bring an end to this notion. Although the corporate sponsors would advertise their names on campus, the Guardian considers this is a small price to pay for the change in dynamics that more money could bring to any festival or show UCSD holds.
In addition, the Guardian likes how Christian plans to bring bigger names to the UCSD campus. By forming a partnership with other schools in the area, and booking a series of shows so the band plays at each school on consecutive days, a band would be more likely to accept an offer to come play at UCSD at a cheaper fee, knowing that it is able to play many shows in a short time.
By joining forces with area schools such as SDSU, we would be able to allure bigger acts that would not normally play at this school. Because UCSD’s programming budget is already small, we need to stretch our dollar as much as possible.This creative idea would allow for just that.
The Guardian also thinks it is important to continue with “”nooners”” on Wednesday afternoons, due to the high turnout for each of the shows this year. Christian plans to continue having these shows and expects to expand them in the future.
Finally, Christian plans to continue with Club Ritmo next year, which could provide the extra social atmosphere that the school is looking for. By working with corporate sponsors, the quality of acts would improve over next year as bigger bands and DJs would agree to play. However, the club lost money this year under Christian, so we will wait to see if it can be successful in its second full year of inception.
Similar to the sentiments expressed by many students over Club Ritmo, the student body over the last few years has become increasingly frustrated over and angry with the quality of acts brought to campus. Though the problems may continue to persist in the short run, at least Christian has the knowledge and the ideas to rework the system so that UCSD’s social life can match its academic one.
While her opponents, Matt Bechtel and Derek Baurmann, have good intentions, they lack the experience and practical ideas that Christian has. We therefore endorse Christian for programmer.
