Editorial SGA Candidate Endorsements

Author: Campus Editor in Chief

Casting the Ballot for Change: SGA Presidential Endorsement

Brace yourself. We're about to break with tradition.
For years The Middlebury Campus has thrown its support behind the shoe-in candidate for student body president. The resume that brims with experience. The one who occupies a cushy cabinet post. The SGA pedigree.
This year we call for a fresh start. And we're confident Sam Rodriguez '04 can deliver just that.
He's an SGA outsider - a classic "reform" candidate. Though he hasn't been groomed for the job, he brings palpable energy and a genuine commitment to redefining the SGA/student relationship.
His interpersonal skills - coupled with his pledge to man an SGA table outside the dining halls twice weekly - assured this editorial board that he'll thrust the SGA back onto students' radar screens.
More than any single platform item, we're impressed by Rodriguez's emphasis on student interaction. He's the populist of the bunch. He'll get out there and talk to people.
While his opponents structure their platforms around relatively stale topics, Rodriguez tempts us with tabula rasa. Issues already in the SGA pipeline - like TIPS and alcohol citation reform - are no longer compelling enough to merit our endorsement. We don't want spillover from this year's Senate session. We want new ideas. And above all, we want a leader with the energy - and the audacity - to get things done.
Rodriguez proposes launching a health food dining hall and making the Health Center's HIV/STD testing free of charge. He calls it setting "reasonable goals." We call it generating ideas instead of rehashing them.
A few words of advice: if elected, Rodriguez must take his cue from experienced SGA senators and the student body at large. Though his candidacy benefits from "outsider" status, he'll have to listen to those who know the system. Only then will he prove himself as a leader.
We also caution Rodriguez not to underestimate the art of compromise. He's firm in his resolve, but in the world of student politics, diplomacy should figure just as prominently as rabblerousing.
Rodriguez must also tailor his presentation to his audience. The decidedly bold style that impresses the editorial board could easily alienate a roomful of College administrators.
All said, though, we're excited about the outsider. Rodriguez is a vote for energy over experience. And he's a vote for change over the status quo.

Picking the Next SCCOCC

Erin Sullivan '04 boasts a distinguished record of political service. She's negotiated the multi-layered bureaucracy of Community Council, represented constituents as an SGA senator and presided as Speaker of the Senate. Given the bureaucratic nature of Community Council, the student co-chair needs to be schooled in the system - from nuances of Handbook language to subcommittee structures that would confound even the most astute observer.
Sullivan's general experience in student government would also balance off newcomer Rodriguez, who we hope to see serving alongside her on the SGA's executive tier. Sullivan exudes the confidence of a tested leader. She stood before our editorial board and coolly laid out her agenda, touching on commons-related, social and environmental items.
We commend her support for the College's environmental "Peak of Excellence." Sullivan pledged to address disappearing Proctor cups and to introduce fair-trade coffee into the dining halls. Small, yet achievable goals. She rounds out her platform with a farther-reaching proposal on portable financial aid. This initiative - with an eye towards equity - would ensure that Middlebury students studying abroad on non-Middlebury programs continue to receive their financial aid package. Sullivan is well equipped to shepard it through the process.
Opponent Michael Cooper '06, while thoughtful and energetic, is not yet seasoned enough for this office. We urge him to join the Community Council as a student member and develop a working knowledge of the system. He's a candidate we hope to interview again.