Throughout the years that members of this Editorial Board have witnessed ASUO elections politics, empty promises have often taken great precedence in the often contentious Executive races. Be it the candidates’ failure to realize the limits of their power in an ASUO leadership position or simply unfounded optimism about their management abilities, competent leadership is all too often sacrificed for unreasonable and ultimately unattainable goals.
For this reason, the Editorial Board’s motto for this year’s ASUO Executive endorsement is “steady leadership over empty promises.”
Both the Ben Strawn/Diana Aguilar and Adam Petkun/Mena Ravassipour tickets bring strong leadership experience and a willingness to give ASUO back to the students. We specifically like Strawn’s idea of focusing on funding benchmarks early to preempt surprise later when the incidental fee grows. Likewise, Petkun’s experience and passion for lowering tuition and working on legislative issues is certainly important.
But we question other promises and problems proposed by both campaigns, such as Aguilar’s idea of expanding library and University Health Center hours, which we feel would not be affordable in this time of funding crisis (expanding library hours just during Finals Week costs about $5,000). And we don’t agree with Ravassipour’s assertion that the Health Center is “kind of hidden” and needs to be more accessible to students; after all, the center is just across the street from Carson Dining Hall and Oregon Hall, where many students eat and get their money.
In the middle of these two campaigns is our pick, the candidate who we believe will better focus on fixing current problems in student government rather than making new guarantees: Adrian T. Gilmore.
First, Gilmore, when acting as chairman of the Programs Finance Committee this year, delivered a well-rounded PFC budget and headed up one of the more organized budgeting sessions in memory. He has also stated his dedication to protecting the incidental fee from cuts while steadfastly following the rules of proper budgeting, so nobody can question whether funds are being misappropriated.
In short, Gilmore is fiscally responsible and has demonstrated his ability to treat budgets fairly and objectively, even when greater forces in student government might attempt to corrupt the process.
Gilmore is also fighting for more openness and representation in ASUO. His question: Why should students be turned away from questioning their own leaders? He has stated his willingness to allow any student to share his or her feelings with staff members in the ASUO office, though we should mention that he shares this sentiment with nearly every other Executive candidate. Perhaps that’s a sign that something desperately needs to be changed.
Gilmore is able to bring a refreshing and well-educated perspective, which the Executive office hasn’t seen in many, many years. He is a law student — a bloc of students grossly underrepresented in student government — and a member of the Student Senate. For an office that has stalemated on promising increased diversity, a greater voice for students and a housing code year after year after year, we believe a new face will change the office for the better.
On that note, Gilmore is not making grand promises for his campaign, instead choosing to adopt a platform of competent leadership and bringing some semblance of openness and accountability back to ASUO.
Gilmore told the Emerald his main priority is “ensuring all students are represented because I don’t believe right now that that’s being done,” adding that he won’t let petty bickering or Executive bias close the office from its constituents.
For all the reasons outlined above, the Emerald Editorial Board wholeheartedly urges students to ignore deceptive and irrational campaign promises, and instead vote Adrian T. Gilmore for ASUO president.
To vote, simply log onto DuckWeb today, Tuesday and Wednesday.