By Christianne Phillips

First, I want to stress why it’s so important to go onto smu.edu/elections on Wednesday and Thursday to vote. Student Senate is the liaison between students and the administration. All the representatives we elect reflect who we are as students and voice our concerns. Many of us see and experience various problems around campus. Thus, it’s our responsibility to elect classmates we trust who will work to make SMU a better campus every day. And because of this fact, I am voting for Blake Rainey to be our next Student Body President.

So why Blake? One reason why I am voting for him is because he’s one of the few people I know who gets things done, and gets them done fast. Most people are good at either coming up with an idea or acting on an idea — not both. He’s able to see the problems around our campus, make plans of action and then act in order to make changes. His platform is Reform, Empower, Deliver — that is who he is and what he wants to do for our campus. He will reform the services on our campus so the quality matches the price of our tuition. He will empower all of us students to ignite change and development along with the Senate. He will deliver the solutions we have been waiting for.

Also, Blake is one of the few people I know who is genuinely nice, compassionate and ambitious. These are things I believe we should look for not only in our next president, but in all of our classmates. I want someone who’s not going to settle. I want a president that constantly asks him or herself “How can I make this better?” I want a president who cares about SMU and the people who make this university so special. Furthermore, Blake is the only one running that is qualified to be our next president. He has three years of experience being on the Student Senate through serving on the Finance Committee, as a Cox Senator, and Chair of the Organizations Committee. He’s also the only candidate running for president who has passed any bills on the Senate at all. And for the record, he has passed multiple bills, one of which proposes to extend the drop course date from five to 10 class days. I’ve known Blake since our freshman year, and I will say that he checks every item off my list.

But at the end of the day, I just want everyone to vote. Take the time to read about all the candidates’ platforms so you can make a reasonable, educated opinion about who you want to represent our student body in Senate. It’s our responsibility to elect someone who will carry out the mission of the Student Senate — to ensure the well-being of this university and its students.

I am Christianne Phillips, and I approve this message.