Buenrostro Stresses Education

As the first in his family to attend a four-year university, ASUC President-elect Manny Buenrostro says education is his guiding principle, a focus he wants to bring to the student government.

To bring education to students, Buenrostro plans to use his office to institute forums and debates on political and social issues.

Buenrostro, who served as an ASUC senator this year, said in an interview that he is most proud of his work as the external vice president of the Informal Debate Society. He pointed to his work setting up a forum on admissions policies and a debate between the Berkeley College Republicans and the Cal Democrats.

"I want to make clear the value of education," he said. "In a way what these forums and debates are going to be is an extension of the education for students here."

Buenrostro said he wants to hold a forum on the state special election on proposals for education, pensions and politics that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he will hold in the fall.

Buenrostro said the forums will also help gauge student opinion, which in turn will help keep the ASUC representative of the whole student body.

"I want to be a president who represents all the students next year," he said.

Buenrostro said he wants to work with other parties and will hire people in his office based on merit rather than party alignment.

"I want to make sure the office is open to all students, regardless of any party affiliations they might have had," he said.

Buenrostro's party, Student Action, took the top four executive positions and a plurality of senate seats in last month's election.

Buenrostro said he represents Student Action because he sees it as being an open organization.

"I don't see them necessarily as sticking to groups or platforms," he said. "I do not want (my office) to be a Student Action office."

As a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Buenrostro said he is very proud to be a member of the Greek community and would work as ASUC president to improve Greek and university relations.

As a first-generation American who described himself as a "proud Latino," Buenrostro said maintaining campus diversity is important.

"I'm very happy that as a Latino leader I can represent such a diverse group of students on this campus," he said.

He said he came to UC Berkeley because he wanted to learn from the diversity on campus, and said one of his goals would be to maintain it.

Though Buenrostro would not say whether he supports affirmative action, he said he would like to see the university broaden its comprehensive review program for applicants.

Buenrostro said he would also make good on many campaign promises including a revamping of the Bearcade and Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union building.

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