"A state audit found $1.7 million in questionable spending. Someone should have been asking questions before the auditors showed up."
Follow the Money
A state audit found $1.7 million in questionable spending in a single administrative office. That’s not a rounding error — it’s a pattern. I will push for annual independent audits of administrative spending with public reporting. If students are paying the bills, they have a right to see the receipts. And I’ll hold monthly open forums in Swearingen where any engineering student can show up, no appointment, no agenda — if you have a problem with how this university spends your money, I want to hear it in person.
Freeze Fee Increases
Tuition and fees have risen over 30% in the last decade while state funding remains nearly 40% below 2008 levels. Students are absorbing costs the state used to cover, and the university keeps raising the price without showing that the value has kept pace. I will vote against any fee or tuition increase that outpaces inflation until students see real returns on what they’re already paying.
Save Columbia’s Nightlife
Three bars within walking distance of campus have closed in the last two years. Insurance costs have doubled or worse thanks to the state’s $1 million liquor liability mandate. Closing regulated venues doesn’t make students safer — it pushes them into unregulated house parties in residential neighborhoods that neighbors then complain about. Student Government should work with the city to advocate for reduced licensing burdens and shared liability frameworks that keep safe, regulated options alive for students and the local businesses that depend on them.
Oppose Wasteful Contracts
The university paid $1.5 million for a ChatGPT license that’s worse than the free version — feature-stripped, privacy-questionable, and rolled out without student input. If a free tool does the job better than a $1.5 million one, someone needs to explain why we’re paying. Before the administration signs contracts that affect students, students should have a voice in the process. I’ll introduce a resolution requiring student input on any technology procurement over $100,000.
Make Compliance Practical
A rocketry team that builds rockets, competes nationally, and represents this university nearly lost its recognition because it missed a mandatory workshop. That’s the system working as designed — and the design is broken. If the university wants organizations to complete training, make it about event planning, budgeting, and risk management. Don’t tie recognition to workshops that teach nothing about running a club.