WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.553 I don't know if there was a defining issue that year. Well what I started to see toward the end of the term, however- 2 00:00:16.553 --> 00:00:28.164 and these issues came up after my term-that continual environment of tuition increases, so that's perhaps always the toughest area to truly deal with. 3 00:00:28.164 --> 00:00:37.948 You hear the needs of the university, you're hearing the case, and ultimately it's, we want to charge you more for this, 4 00:00:37.948 --> 00:00:48.919 and everything I just mentioned about the Wolfpack Student Initiative, the basis of that was financial need. So there was always this push and pull, 5 00:00:48.919 --> 00:00:56.424 which I'm sure the current students are dealing with right now. Whether it was increasing student fees or tuition there was always this environment 6 00:00:56.424 --> 00:01:05.969 of balance, or a push and pull so to say, between what are the true needs of the university and how can we make a truly informed decision 7 00:01:05.969 --> 00:01:17.052 without undermining the ability of students to make a difference? Generally the balancing act for us as student leaders 8 00:01:17.052 --> 00:01:25.694 was not to simply let passion drive a discussion but to have it be very rational dialogue, very professional dialogue quite frankly, 9 00:01:25.694 --> 00:01:32.601 for the university not to simply take for granted we're students, we'll be here only for a couple years. They have to have a longer term approach, 10 00:01:32.601 --> 00:01:40.381 and for us they're trying to charge us more; I can't afford it and my friends can't afford it. So there was always that push and pull, 11 00:01:40.381 --> 00:01:52.255 but just making sure they understood we were very invested and informed about the topics and that our opinions certainly should not be taken for granted. 12 00:01:52.255 --> 00:02:07.160 So particularly at the board of trustee level, being the student representing thirty thousand students so to say, it was always that, at least for me, 13 00:02:07.160 --> 00:02:14.468 that central perspective, to make sure that they knew the mature perspective I was bringing to the table 14 00:02:14.468 --> 00:02:19.946 and that we would have a very informed dialogue about any of those types of decisions.