Persistence guides MSA president in new duties

By Lisa Koivu

Daily Staff Reporter

Two years ago LSA senior Hideki Tsutsumi had never greeted anyone on the University's campus. But after transferring from a community college in Maryland after his sophomore year, Tsutsumi is now the student government president and starting to begin his work on the platform that got him elected.

After winning the presidential election for the Michigan Student Assembly, Tsutsumi said his greatest asset is the perserverance that helped him win the election, which he hopes will help him accomplish the goals of his campaign platform.

His platform includes helping students save money by providing cheaper textbooks, lobbying the state government for more funding to minimalize tuition increases, privatizing residence hall dining services and lobbying the administration to provide more University buses on the weekends.

"My biggest goal for this year is to carry out my platform. I will be very successful because I'm very persistent," Tsutsumi said. "I will start working on it this summer."

LSA Rep. Amit Pandya said he believes the upcoming year will be a learning experience for the assembly without former President Bram Elias and Vice President Andy Coulouris.

"Truthfully, it will be rough for the first month and a half, but Hideki's really dedicated and he'll learn to do everything," Pandya said.

"It'll be tough because Bram and Andy's lives were MSA. If you've never been in MSA before it's tough to learn the protocol," he said.

Pandya said he plans to share his MSA experience in order to make sure things run smoothly. "It's pointless to be negative and not help them out."

But not all members took the change with optimism. LSA Rep. Kym Stewart resigned from the assembly last week because she said she wasn't comfortable with the direction MSA is headed.

"I think this will be a rebuilding year for MSA. They will be rebuilding internally and I am more into the external aspects," Stewart said.

"The restructuring will be great because the new people will not be stuck in a set process and they can question things," she added.

LSA Rep. Shari Katz, chairwoman of the Voice Your Vote Task Force, said with so much change in leadership the assembly will have to work even harder this year to get everything done.

"A lot of the leadership is graduating from the assembly, but a lot of excited new people have come in. It will be a challenge for the current leaders to continue the standards of the previous representatives," Katz said.

"Hideki is trying really hard, but it will take time for him to learn everything. The entire assembly needs to unite to accomplish our goals," she added.

Assembly treasurer Siafa Hage said he is confident the assembly will continue to do well.

"I think this new assembly will work efficiently. There should be less confrontation on the assembly than there was when Bram was running things, because Hideki doesn't have affiliations with any of the organizations that Bram was criticized for," Hage said.

Vice President Jim Secreto said he believes Tsutsumi will be an effective president, especially when it comes to reaching out to students.

"I admit it will be a very large challenge to continue the success of MSA and achieve his platform, but because of the dedication he has shown through his campaigning, MSA will succeed," Secreto said.

Tsutsumi said he hopes the assembly will be able to work with him to accomplish his agenda.

"I'd like to get them all to be behind my platform, that's what is most important for me. I'm going to do my best to get them to help me," Tsutsumi said.

This summer, Tsutsumi plans to spend time taking classes, running the summer MSA meetings and meeting incoming freshmen during orientation sessions.

"I want to speak to the freshmen so all students will know me in the fall," he said.

"Many students may think it is impossible to accomplish their goals, but if you never give up you can accomplish anything," Tsutsumi said. "No one thought I would win, but since I did I know I can also accomplish my platform."

DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily

Michigan Student Assembly President Hideki Tsutsumi is known for the sign he has carried around campus.