Brian Lei is the only candidate for the Chair of the Undergraduate Organizations Committee with the experience needed to hit the ground running and pursue his clearly-outlined, realistic projects. Having served on the UOC during the past year, Lei desires to continue its current efforts, including “revamping the capital equipment system” and “setting up an umbrella bank account” under which each student organization would have its own individual account. He asserts that his knowledge of the UOC’s inner workings is vital to accomplishing these tasks: “There’s no room for transition, where mistakes are made,” he warns. “This is money.”
It certainly is money, and as Lei notes, “money doesn’t grow on trees.” He understands how to work within a system with financial and bureaucratic limits and criticizes the other candidates for making “promises that they can’t necessarily keep.” He explains, “a lot of candidates are using rhetoric that’s appealing to the Yale audience, but they lack a concrete game plan of how to do so.”
For example, one candidate has suggested that UOC representatives meet with student groups that submit applications for funding to assist them with the process. But does this candidate know what it is like to do what Lei and his colleagues do – review and discuss dozens of applications in a single night? Another candidate recommends implementing changes to the system for reserving rooms. But is he aware that the UOC has already made strides at accomplishing this task? (“We haven’t released the results yet,” admits Lei; but this candidate should still be aware of what the UOC has in the works if he hopes to lead it next year.)
Lei is more than someone who simply understands “the details and intricacies of the UOC.” He also has “a real interest in helping the Yale community.” He explains, “student organizations are a big part of student life. We’re not just here for the academics.” As concert master for the Silliman College Orchestra, a violinist in the Yale Symphony Orchestra, and a member of both the Yale Student Investment Group and Yale Splash, Lei has gained exposure to the types of groups that he would assist as the Chair of UOC.
Ultimately, Lei’s campaign is both reasonable and realistic. Reasonable, because Lei sets priorities; he would rather allocate funding for a speaker who fills up a lecture hall in Linsley-Chittenden than for Insomnia cookies at a weekly club gathering. Realistic, because he understands that “it’s just the nature of the work that policy change doesn’t happen overnight.” He refrains from announcing unfounded promises and setting overly-lofty goals; he plans to build upon the strong foundation that the current UOC has set. From releasing information on the new room reservation system, to overhauling student organizations’ bank account structure, to collaborating with Bass library to create a more user-friendly website, Lei has solid plans for the future that are already underway. He deserves the chance to complete these projects.