Campus MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1996
SECTION C
Orange cone Alert
Photos by Edmée Rodriguez
Buildings across campus have seen major construction changes. Budig Hall, left and below, is being renovated after it was destroyed by fire in 1991. Templin Residence Hall, above, is also being renovated.
Grey Montgomery: the man with a plan
Student president wants involvement recognition for work
By Spencer Duncan Kansan staff writer
Grey Montgomery has the whole table laughing.
Everyone is eating their pizza, discussing new computers that will arrive soon and smiling. All at the table are friends, but when the discussion turns to business, it is clear who is in charge.
Montgomery, with his slick style of sounding authoritative in a friendly way, tells his friends, the treasurer and vice president of Student Senate, just how he wants things to be. They listen, and while they are not afraid of him, they know to pay attention. After all, Montgomery is the student body president.
Last April, Montgomery raised his hands in victory after earning 1,918 student votes and the title of the 1996-97 student body president. During the election, his mission was clear; win enough votes to earn the job. Now, with campaigning long behind him, the mission is getting more difficult to define.
Edmée Rodriguez/KANSAN
"Grey has worked hard to get things together," says Jamie Johnson, student body vice president. "The election was probably the toughest thing the two of us
has have ever gone through, but the year ahead will be hard."
Montgomery has spent the summer appointing students to positions in student government and getting to know administrators and members of the Board of Regents. But Montgomery also has begun to define the issues he thinks are important.
"There are a lot of things that need to be done at this University," Montgomery says. "Student Senate is involved in everything, and I have a large role to play."
He thinks that faculty evaluations should be opened to the students, that more campus lighting is essential and that the terminal server fee needs to be kept as low as possible.
Montgomery wants to see a tenure review, hopes that parking can be increased without losing green space and has put together a task force to examine the future of the bus system. The list of issues is endless.
There is only one year for Montgomery, and his list could take much more time to address. But Montgomery refuses to let that discourage him.
One issue on Montgomery's list is recycling, an issue that reappears every year. This year, however, the University may be serious.
The University hired Victoria Silva this summer as its recycling coordinator. Silva has big plans for the recycling efforts of the University, some of which require backing from Senate.
"The way to define how you have done is based on results," Montgomery says. "I want to get some results."
*Any of the programs that we will try to
implement will have to have student support. Student senate should be a way of getting that." Silva says.
Montgomery says that his door is open to Silva and any other group that wants to tackle recycling.
"Students always seem to get involved when it becomes a hot topic. Then it always drops off." Montgomery says. "We are going to create a student environmental advisory board. Hopefully, this will help us deal with the environmental issues on the campus."
--img down the door with complaints.
Sometimes the arrows come out.
Grey Montgomery, Junction City senior, is this year's student body president. He has many plans for the coming year, including improving recycling, campus lighting and keeping the terminal server fee as low as possible.
"I want people to recognize what we are doing," Montgomery says. "I am not going to spend all my time reaching out to the students, though. Student Senate exists to do things for students, not to show off to the students."
But recognition would be nice, and Montgomery will work to acquaint people with him and Senate.
Being Senate president has a special meaning. Of course, it means more if people are paying attention.
"I am going to hold town hall meetings and set up tables at Wescoe," Montgomery says. "We will even give talks to organizations to let them know what is going on. Of course I would like to receive a little recognition for my hard work."
Nobody is perfect and Grey is no exception.
There are times when the wrong decision is made, and the consequences must be faced. There are moments when the right decision is made, and people still are beat-
"Grey gets frustrated, but everyone does," says Johnson, a friend of Montgomery's for four years. "He has had his moments, but really he deals with things very well. I have never really seen him completely lose his temper."
Just because Montgomery rarely loses his temper in the presence of others, that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.
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"The technology fee got changed, and that was my biggest defeat so far," Montgomery says.
See Montgomery, page 5C
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