Staff Editorial: HU Student Elections

It's that time of year again. Posters are going up, students whom you've either never seen anywhere before or seen everywhere forever are suited and booted in the middle of the Yard and suddenly eager to introduce themselves and to converse with you as you make your way to class. Soon t-shirts, buttons, and other paraphernalia will be distributed and speak outs will be held to help students determine who the most knowledgeable, capable, and charismatic Bison are to lead Howard into the future.

This year's candidates for student government have significant shoes to fill. With concrete changes and advances like the establishment of HUSA grants and the abolition of the purge system that can be attributed to the current student leadership, the Howard student body should expect the next wave of their leadership to continue this trend of developing applicable and necessary policies from which students can benefit.

Hopefully, the newly elected student leaders will be able to build upon and enhance the work that has been done. In order to continue to develop plans and procedures that are tangible and useful, we need leaders who are both in tune with a wide array of student needs and concerns and who are unafraid to openly advocate for those concerns, as well as practical leaders who are skilled at putting good ideas into practice.

We also need student leaders who are willing and able to bring power hall from the classroom to the café to the Yard, who can communicate with students from all walks of Howard life and who can take all of those different perspectives into consideration when making decisions.

We need our leaders to keep all students—not just those who congregate in power hall or who volunteer in student government offices--informed of their initiatives and of how they can make suggestions and participate.

It often seems like election season at Howard brings out a sense of enthusiasm and commitment that does not in quite the same capacity at any other time of the year. This obvious distinction often leads many students to wonder if the goal is truly to facilitate change at Howard or simply to win an election.

While many people acknowledge that the nature and intensity of student elections at Howard is reminiscent of the election process in the real world, The Hilltop staff is not sure that is always a good thing. In order for change to take place at Howard, future elected student leaders should always remember that they are students, first and foremost.

This realization does not just apply to setting a good example or keeping up with one's academics. It means never shrinking from the responsibility of representing student interests in all of its complexities, and sometimes its controversies, with honesty and conviction. Simply put, remember that you represent us in the A-building and the boardroom. You don't simply represent the A-building and the boardroom to us.

Our View: Student elections at Howard are a great time to bring about change at Howard, but only if candidates are truly committed to working and not simply to winning.