Regardless of the number of cultural differences that have been illuminated throughout the past few weeks, we all, as students, are members of a changing campus. Though topics like the make-up of the greek system are pertinent, there are many issues that affect us all, despite our race or greek affiliation.
Our campus population is growing rapidly and that growth puts a strain on many of our institutions. Dining halls are overflowing, ResNet is getting slower, and parking spaces are becoming increasingly scarce. These issues, coupled with other issues have reached their boiling points at the optimal time: election season.
We are an incredibly lucky student body this year insofar as I legitimately believe we have two highly qualified and well-intentioned candidates in Grant Cochran and Coresa Nancy Hogan.
Granted, it is this entire next year’s worth of actions that will reveal the true intentions of our next president, not merely election week propaganda. But, from the information we’ve been given thus far, it seems as if both candidates would be good servants of the University.
That being said, our vote is no longer about who will serve the interests of the student body, but about who will best serve the interests of the student body. This year, Coresa Nancy Hogan will best be able to serve our student body.
Hogan has correctly recognized the urgency of responding to a growing campus with tangible solutions. She has clearly put thought into diagnosing the most practical ways of combating the byproducts of campus growth, namely in campus-group budgeting, ResNet connections, parking, and the advising process. These are issues that affect all of us on daily basis.
Though candidates can always provide lofty practical solutions, they will undoubtedly be in for shocking reality checks if they are unfamiliar with the inner workings and processes of our SGA. I myself have many “solutions” for campus problems, though I recognize that my knowledge of how plausible such solutions would actually be is severely lacking.
Hogan, however, currently serves as the SGA senior adviser to the president. This gives her an inside glimpse on the means and processes current president James Fowler has used to be successful in the past year. She could hit the ground running and harness positive momentum early on as president simply because she wouldn’t have to spend months getting adjusted to the learning curve.
Similarly, many of our problems are budget related. As a member of the SGA’s Financial Affairs Committee, Hogan is familiar with the complexity of our budget issues. Let’s put the power in the hands of a woman who understands the issues the hand.
We come to a point in every election, though, when the issues all start to blur together. Both Hogan and Cochran emphasize the importance of achieving greater diversity and SGA accountability. Even comparing the issues they emphasize that differ is like comparing apples and oranges. It is at this point that we must look to the candidates’ character, because it is character that will determine how a president will react to stress and obstacles while in office.
I’ll make the important reservation that both candidates seem to possess great character. Hogan’s character, however, emanates from her campaign. She will refuse to accept the SGA president’s salary if she is elected and has questioned the need for other SGA benefits as well, such as the all-access parking pass.
These conscious efforts to avoid elitism on her part do much more than free up a few hundred dollars and a parking spot: they give us an insight into her character. I consider myself to be an incredibly skeptical person, but the fact she even brought these issues to light is a testament to her integrity. To be honest, I didn’t even know presidents were paid a salary or had parking benefits. The very fact that Hogan admitted this speaks more strongly about her true intentions than any campaign bullet-point about “transparency.”
But let’s not deny the elephant in the room. Hogan is clearly viewed as the underdog in this election. Though both candidates are greek, there is an unspoken “greek candidate” and an unspoken “independent candidate” in every election. This idea, however, is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we view Hogan as an underdog, we will surely vote in a way that reinforces this notion. Though this “underdog” label may be culturally true, it couldn’t be further from the truth statistically.
Don’t buy into the false notion that Hogan has a lesser chance of winning. In the end, it is only you that creates this logical fallacy. Go out and vote for an experienced woman of character.
Ben Friedman is a sophomore majoring in social entrepreneurship. His column runs on Fridays.
