2008 Woodie Awards
Post-Election Clean-Up
SGA Elections
The Editors
Issue date: 3/2/06 Section: OpEd
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Garbage cans across campus overflow with crumpled red-and-blue posters and handbills. Another SGA campaign season comes to a close.
Monday's Banner-facilitated elections witnessed a close race for student government hopefuls. Unlike the past few years, however, when one party supplied most or all executive board members, this year's student body picked a few candidates from each pot. As such, next year's diverse line up-three red candidates and two blue-must work together to juggle, judge and implement issues from both platforms.
The 2005-06 SGA, a single-party sweep, pushed through virtually all of its outlined objectives. The most prominent of these include plans for a wireless campus, expansion of the Upperclass Scholarships and posting of the Ride Board in the commuter lounge. In next year's mixed-ticket setting, though, morphing ideas into legislation and legislation into policy requires a different approach.
Some tension may arise, for example, concerning Student Organization Cabinets. President-Elect Evan Krauss implemented SOCs at SLU to link community service organizations with similar aims and aspirations. SOC meetings provide a convenient forum for fledgling service organizations to discuss goals and problems. Their continued existence is necessary, as they help new organizations get off the ground and grow.
Platforms also differed on the implementation of new programs of study at SLU. The upcoming Academic Vice President wants to expand the number of programs of study SLU offers. He would do well to first consider the cost of improving the programs SLU already supports.
SGA must also significantly strengthen ties with multicultural organizations if BSA and ISF presidents are to be cut from the executive board. Krauss needs to use his proven knack for leadership to build cohesion among his colleagues new and old. With a mixed-platform government in the future, these skills will soon become invaluable.
More astounding than differences of opinion, though, are plans the parties share. Both groups emphasize the need to expand student advising. Both want to strengthen SGA-to-student body communications. Both want to increase the permanency and scope of Upperclass Scholarships. With these mutual themes, SLU's future SGA leaders have stable common ground on which to stand.
Monday's Banner-facilitated elections witnessed a close race for student government hopefuls. Unlike the past few years, however, when one party supplied most or all executive board members, this year's student body picked a few candidates from each pot. As such, next year's diverse line up-three red candidates and two blue-must work together to juggle, judge and implement issues from both platforms.
The 2005-06 SGA, a single-party sweep, pushed through virtually all of its outlined objectives. The most prominent of these include plans for a wireless campus, expansion of the Upperclass Scholarships and posting of the Ride Board in the commuter lounge. In next year's mixed-ticket setting, though, morphing ideas into legislation and legislation into policy requires a different approach.
Some tension may arise, for example, concerning Student Organization Cabinets. President-Elect Evan Krauss implemented SOCs at SLU to link community service organizations with similar aims and aspirations. SOC meetings provide a convenient forum for fledgling service organizations to discuss goals and problems. Their continued existence is necessary, as they help new organizations get off the ground and grow.
Platforms also differed on the implementation of new programs of study at SLU. The upcoming Academic Vice President wants to expand the number of programs of study SLU offers. He would do well to first consider the cost of improving the programs SLU already supports.
SGA must also significantly strengthen ties with multicultural organizations if BSA and ISF presidents are to be cut from the executive board. Krauss needs to use his proven knack for leadership to build cohesion among his colleagues new and old. With a mixed-platform government in the future, these skills will soon become invaluable.
More astounding than differences of opinion, though, are plans the parties share. Both groups emphasize the need to expand student advising. Both want to strengthen SGA-to-student body communications. Both want to increase the permanency and scope of Upperclass Scholarships. With these mutual themes, SLU's future SGA leaders have stable common ground on which to stand.