OPINIONS
THURSDAY
november 29, 2012
PAGE 5
the daily orange
IDE AS
Curtis must use all available resources during transition As Allie Curtis begins transitioning into the role of Student Association president, she must make sure to use all her available resources to help better the student government. In the next few weeks, Curtis will spend the majority of her transition learning from current President Dylan Lustig, the only student left on campus who has held the position. Because he is the most recent SA president, it makes sense for him to show Curtis the ropes. But Curtis must reach out to former SA presidents who can also give her insight and knowledge about how to be an effective defender of the students. It’s important for Curtis to continue learning about SA’s history to avoid previous mistakes. Certainly there are new problems facing students today, but there are also some perennial problems, such as organization funding. By going back five or 10 years, Curtis can see how former administrations dealt with these issues. As president, Curtis needs to focus on students and their needs. Learning about the student government’s inter-
EDITORIAL by the daily orange editorial board nal workings and systems has kept former presidents, including Lustig, from focusing on students despite how much they have said they want to. Though Curtis has served as vice president and may know some internal aspects of the presidency, there will always be more to learn. To adequately focus on the students, Curtis needs to learn all she can before she officially takes the position. To make sure Curtis accomplishes her goals, she needs to articulate them clearly. She needs to communicate them with the heads of the committees, who will be greatly responsible for carrying out her plans. Curtis also needs to develop working relationships with all committee heads so they will respect her as their new leader. Curtis has a huge task in front of her: leading the student body. To do so, Curtis must learn as much as possible before taking over in January.
SCRIBBLE
univ ersit y politics
SA candidates’ ideas still valid, should be explored even after voting ends
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inning the Student Association presidential election will not stand as Allie Curtis’ greatest challenge. Though campaigning, making pledges and harvesting favorable opinions are difficult tasks, the real test of a leader’s abilities begins after the hype of the election comes to a close. Elections do not solve problems; rather, they expose what needs fixing. And after having four presidential and two comptroller candidates do just that during the campaign, it’s evident there is indeed much to fix. The tall order Curtis faces in January includes making the campus more “inclusive,” creating a stronger working relationship with student organizations and focusing on real, tangible results. These are no longer platform ideas, they are warranted expectations. But it is not Curtis’ responsibility News Editor Editorial Editor Sports Editor Presentation Director Photo Editor Copy Chief Art Director Development Editor Social Media Producer Web Developer Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. Feature Editor Asst. Feature Editor Asst. Sports Editor
to face these issues alone. Kyle Coleman, one of Curtis’ opponents for the presidency, said that though the position of SA president is an effective channel for implementing reforms, it is not the only path. Running SA, he said, is not a one-man show. Coleman not only makes an extremely accurate claim, but plans to put his argument into practice by sticking with SA despite his loss. Although he is unsure of exactly what role he will play in the organization, he realizes the issues he was passionate about one month ago still exist and will continue to be prevalent into Curtis’ term. “I believe it would be foolish to walk away from SA just because a few votes didn’t go my way,” Coleman said. Every candidate should consider this belief. Though he too lost the presidential race, PJ Alampi said he will also not abandon the organization. He is apply-
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R ACHAEL BARILL ARI
campus watchdog ing for the position of vice president, which is not voted on by the student body, as he feels it is the next step for him within SA. If he is not nominated, Alampi said he will continue to work on the initiatives he started in SA outside the organization, instead of returning as an assembly member. Syracuse University, more than ever, wants results from their student government, as demonstrated by a second straight year of record-breaking voter turnout. With more interest comes higher
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expectations, and delivering on campaign promises will take the collective effort of skilled leaders. Coleman, Alampi and Iggy Nava all have warranted ideas and contributions to better SA. Curtis’ administration can and should capitalize on these former candidates for the purpose of bettering SU. This not only applies to the presidency, as Comptroller Stephen DeSalvo could learn from perspectives articulated by his contender, Osar Pat-Osagie, whose ideas for educating student organizations about the budget process are worth considering. Though all four losing candidates said they still have interest in continuing to serve the students through SA in some capacity, this should be more than a consideration — it should be a definite plan. Each candidate truly, despite losing their respective races, has attributes
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that the elected leaders should pay attention to. Both Curtis and DeSalvo need to realize this to represent the varying wants of the constituency. After all, every candidate had supporters and votes cast in his or her name. Those students who did not vote for the winners should still see some aspects of what they believe are important improvements to this campus, even if in a small capacity. A title next to a name is not the most important outcome of student government elections. Winning does not mean it is acceptable for ideas and promises to fade away. Here at SU, students care more about those who are bettering their lives on campus, not just who the SA president is. Rachael Barillari is a junior political science and Middle Eastern studies major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at rebarill@syr.edu.
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