Interview with Candidate for Re-Election to Vice Presidency, Nick DiZoglio

This week, current SGA Vice President Nick DiZoglio sat down with the Voice's Ben Fountain to talk about his run for re-election in next week's SGA Elections.

In recapping goals he had set for himself in last year's elections, DiZoglio touted an increase in student involvement, particularly among freshmen and sophomores, in his first year as vice president. He also addressed a failed shuttle bus program that he had once said would be approved this year.

"A lot of people agreed that it was a great program. Just a few of the higher-ups said 'No', because of the money," he explained. He and a few NESAD students are working on a petition to get the shuttle bus program off the ground, because, as he said, "we don't know when the 2013 [NESAD] building will be done - it might not be 2013. So we've got to think about the future, now."

He also pointed out the Commuter Student Value Card and his efforts to reach out to different universities and schools across Boston, as accomplishments in his first semester.

"Four goals, two of them were set. The other two - you can't do four things all in one year when you have other things coming up, such as the diversity amendment that we worked on, the ride along program, newspapers," he said.

For next year, he stressed student outreach - particularly with other local universities, as a major goal.

When asked about critcisms regarding SGA's image, DiZoglio confessed that some might be intimidated by the group.

"Since freshman year I've always been kind of intimidated by the structure of SGA," he said, "In the long run, the barrier needs to come down, the transparency needs to work. My door is not always closed, it's always open.

"You look at SGA and you think they're intimidating. Well, yes, some of them think they're intimidating people. It's not fair, it's not right. So next year the outreach program needs to go full force, that Brian LeFort has proposed."

In encouraging outreach, DiZoglio also stressed that it was important for students to engage themselves in activities outside of academics.

"Academics are important, but to have social life involved, it makes a true college experience."