Yesterday, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dedman Center forLifetime Sports renovation took place. In reality, groundbreakingoccurred in the fall of 2002, when a team of dedicated studentsenators began responding to requests for updated sportsfacilities. Countless hours of researching, surveying, planning andproposing were necessary before any ceremonies could be held.

The Dedman Center is the finest example of why you should takean active interest in next week’s elections.

The power of our student leaders is real.

Each year, Senate appropriates every dollar of studentorganization funds. fall break and reading days were added to theacademic calendar because of Senate. The list of accomplishmentsconstantly grows.

However, our senators are not important merely for initiatingstudent perks and handing out allowances to needy clubs. During thenext academic year, the elected individuals will represent thestudent body to the campus administration and external community.For example, in January, current President Thomas Kincaid honorablyrepresented SMU’s student population during a commemorativemarch for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Senate officers maintain close relationships with top Universityofficials to ensure open communications between students and theadministration.

A commentary published last semester noted, “The Senatedevotes its time and energy to improving the lives of SMU students.An insufficient number of students are willing to accept thechallenges commanded by the duties of these offices, and theyshould be praised for their mere willingness to fulfill theseresponsibilities.”

As a member of the SMU community, you have an obligation toconsider which students are best suited to fulfill these roles.We’ll spare you the trite lecture concerning our”democratic duty” to vote in all elections, but weimplore every Mustang to reflect upon the candidates.

Which student leader will best address your concerns?

Who will represent the student body with dignity,professionalism and passion?

The answers do not come easy, especially given the briefcampaign season. The opinion page of The Daily Campus isattempting to rectify this situation by printing commentarieswritten by candidates. Furthermore, in order to provideendorsements, Ed Board will conduct interviews with the candidatesfor president, vice president and secretary.

Through these means, the student body should be well-prepared tomake an informed decision when the polls open on Wednesday.