What We Want in a StuCo President
The Editorial Board believes it prudent to identify the traits that we find definitive of the ideal Student Council President. Thereafter, it should be up to our readership to choose the candidate who better embodies such traits.
Principally, the Editorial Board recognizes the imperative of StuCo administrative reform. At present, StuCo is impeded and un-democratized by those who vote on policy despite not having been elected to office. As a result, the student electorate now harbors a general perception that StuCo has deviated from its constituents to the point of unaccountability.
Therefore, the Editorial Board endorses whichever candidate is more receptive to the needs of StuCo. Not only must future Presidents be responsible for themselves, but also for the legislative body they represent.
On the topic of legislation, the Editorial Board also envisions a President with both a past career and a future capacity of political resolution. We—and the student body—desire a StuCo of legislative success, a StuCo beyond a forum. We hold that true legislation is the administration of policy, not simply the discussion thereof.
This clearly suggests that the President of tomorrow must have been the enactor of today’s successful policies. We urge our readership to vote after having considered the candidates’ histories, and having predicted their abilities to propel policy through both StuCo and the faculty.
The Editorial Board understands that the traits described thus far will require massive investments on the personal part of the President. By extension, the ability to reform StuCo and the ability to push legislation both require a committed and persevering personality.
Our ideal President is and can be committed to StuCo. He may partake in other extracurricular activities, but his primary interest will lie with his presidency. He is, after all, our ultimate civil servant.
When that civil servant is frustrated, when he is offended or when he is otherwise disobeyed, rejected or ridiculed, he must persevere. He must do so—and must recognize that he must—because his office represents a contract between him and the common Exonian. This contract demands that he place the needs of the many above his own, and asserts that any President-hopeful must be prepared for self-sacrifice.
On the side, it is worth noting that this week we are publishing three opinion pieces related to StuCo. Even though student council has been dominating the news recently, it’s important to remember that StuCo happens all year round. We shouldn’t only talk about StuCo during election season. If we do that, then these elections merely become popularity contests. StuCo affects all aspects of our Exeter experience, and thus we should always be keeping track of and tabs on what StuCo is doing, and voice those opinions.