Student body officer electionsThomas Kincaid

As part of their application for student body president, vicepresident and secretary, candidates have been allowed to writecommentaries detailing their platforms. Today’s commentaries arewritten by students campaigning for the office of student bodypresident. The Senate election, originally slated to run fromWednesday, Feb. 26 to Thursday, Feb. 27, has been postponed due tothis week’s severe weather, but will be rescheduled. Don’t forgetto vote!

This year I have had the honor and privilege of serving as yourstudent body secretary. The year has been blessed with manysuccesses: the Dedman Center’s renovation is certain, Pony Expresshas marched off-campus and our campus home is safer and morebeautiful than ever.

I want to create a new Student Senate scholarship. I propose thecreation of a new scholarship to honor the courage of some of ourfellow students who must fight for their education. A friend ofmine works two jobs, lives an hour away and still never missesclass. The courage she displays in fighting for her educationinspires me.

As I mentioned above, the Dedman Center will be renovated andexpanded soon, but the work that must be done for the students isonly just beginning. As your student body president, I would sit onthe Dedman Center Renovation Oversight Committee and continue towork for the students’ interests. The administration has made thecommitment to provide a place for students to work out throughoutthe construction, and you deserve leadership experienced infighting for this project all year.

Student body officer candidates continually discuss theimportance of diversity. It is important, and so I propose action.If elected, I will form the Students Fighting for Diversity taskforce to address these questions: What are we, the students, doingto improve minority recruitment and retention? What can we, thestudents, do better to improve minority recruitment and retention?How do we treat, fund, and provide space for minority studentgroups? Finally, how does what we do interface with the efforts ofthe administration and the faculty?

Finally, I am tired of seeing hard-working student groups havingto fight for every penny for a program.

While we must continue to be vigilant in not misappropriatingthe students’ money, Senate appropriations standards are out ofdate and need to be scrapped for a fresh start. It will be a goalof mine to make the process more understandable, more useful andmore efficient.

I have other ideas for how to improve our university, but mostlyI have passion for serving you. I want to be your student bodypresident so I can work for you, for your ideas and for your hopes.It has been a privilege serving you ever since you elected me lastyear, and it would be an even greater privilege to continue servingyou next year. That’s why I am asking for your help, support andvote for student body president.