Winning 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 starting 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 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 other candidate should consider this belief.

Though he too lost the presidential race, PJ Alampi said he will also not abandon the organization. He is applying 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. Almost 30 percent of the student body voted.

With more interest comes higher 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 three losing presidential candidates and Pat-Osagie 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 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.

 

Published on November 29, 2012 at 1:00 am