Election season is back, filled with YouTube videos, Red Square posters and a million e-mails. But the Voice Editorial Board wanted to get to know the contenders faceto-face. In our interviews with them, we looked for candidates with natural leadership skills, experience and concrete ideas to make the Student Association work for students.
In an ideal Georgetown, students would share their concerns with the Student Association, which would have the power to execute changes on its own. But in practice, the Student Association is effective when it lobbies the administration on behalf of students. With an understanding of the system, enthusiasm for student government and charisma, Jake Styacich (COL ’09) is best able to make gains for students as the next president of the Student Association. We endorse his candidacy.
The team of Ben Shaw (COL ’08) and Matt Appenfeller (COL ’09) is also strong. They are the only balanced ticket (Ben is the only candidate to choose a well-qualified vice president) and have created the innovative, grassroots “I Love Georgetown But…” campaign. But in the interviews, they and the other candidates seemed to lack Jake’s determination to enact change during their presidencies.
While many contenders have compiled a laundry list of issues—from extending the add/drop period to making campus eco-friendly—Jake is focused on the most achievable ones: food, safety and student social life. He has a good plan for how to give students more meal options. He wants to keep students safe by keeping them on campus—he’ll do so by encouraging more and better social events.
Most importantly, he knows how to push the right buttons with administrators that the SA must work with. As Secretary of Housing and Facilities under the outgoing and successful Presidency of Twister Murchison (SFS ’08), Jake dealt with one of the most frustrating departments for Georgetown students: housing.
In theory, Enoch Bevel (COL ’08) would be a good choice. His ideas for making the Student Association more accountable to students (including introducing a version of Prime Minister’s questions) and for building a better constitution are promising. But neither Enoch nor running-mate Munir Jawed (SFS ’08) presented concrete ideas about how to make life better for students. Worst of all, they side-stepped questions , not giving a straight answers to anything we asked them. They’re master politicians, not what the Student Associsation needs.
If all you care about is technology and not leadership, Luke Hillman (COL ’08) is your candidate. If there are two things he’ll accomplish (though they may be the only two), it is bigger and better GU e-mail service and more wireless for everybody.
Our only reservation about Jake is his inexperienced running mate, John Dougherty (SFS ’09). Then again, almost no candidate did a good job of picking a Vice President. Though he may have to navigate a maze of bureaucracy by himself, Jake is best positioned to do so, and we hope he will continue Murchison’s legacy of pragmatic leadership.
