The Facts: Student Government elections — including the run for student body president — begin tonight at midnight. Candidates have been campaigning for the last two weeks and have attended three debates to highlight campus issues. All three candidates have made Facebook pages and websites where interested students can find each candidate’s campaign platform.
Our Opinion: The student body president is often considered the “face of the University,” so it’s imperative students vote for who they believe is the best candidate and who will best represent the University in the coming year.
With student body president elections opening at midnight, it’s important every student takes a few minutes to vote for who they believe to be the best candidate.
The student body president represents the entire student body, and his/her job is a difficult one. The SBP is the face of the student body to units outside the University, as well as to groups inside the University.
For example, this year when the GLBT Center was vandalized, current Student Body President Chandler Thompson rallied students and organizations to respond. The University community looked to Thompson to see her reaction and what she organized as a result of the vandalism, but the community outside of the University, such as news media, turned to Thompson for the reaction of the students.
The student body president is a rallying force for campus when incidences such as the vandalism occur, and when positive things happen at the University. Therefore, it’s important the president doesn’t have any biases so he or she can be a true rallying force for students.
As students, we have the right and responsibility to vote for who we believe the best candidate is. A lot of times throughout the year students will complain about the Student Government — and by default, the student body president — but when asked if they voted, they will say no. This year, let’s change that trend. This year we have three different, well-qualified candidates running for SBP. Take the time to get to know their campaign platform and what they hope to do if they are elected.
Vote for the candidate you believe best represents your opinions and trust he or she will make the right decisions. Let your voice be heard by electing the best possible candidate to represent us.
