Staff Editorial 2/13: ‘Inspired by U’ shows promise

For the past two years, Student Government (SG) has excelled in fulfilling its mission of improving the quality of the college experience at UM. We don’t think next year should be any different.

Therefore, in this year’s race for SG executive board, the editorial staff of The Miami Hurricane endorses the “Inspired by U” ticket, a collection of three stellar candidates – and an impressive support system of student leaders – that exude ambition, confidence and experience.

“Inspired by U” offers the most interesting and promising initiatives including the development of centralized internship access, which lists opportunities available inside and outside of Coral Gables  for all majors; a pilot program for gender neutral housing in the University Village; and the monthly UBazaar, which, similar to a flea market, will bring local vendors to campus and possibly a barber.

The team behind “Inspired by U” has years of experience in SG, but that has not been their only involvement. Its three candidates are involved in on-campus organizations like the Butler Center for Service and Leadership, Greek life and Honor Council. The organizations that they are involved in may seem typical because the groups are the largest and most commonly joined by students wanting to get involved. But what makes “Inspired by U” unique is that their focus is not on leading students as three individuals. Instead, the team’s goal is to lead Student Government and the UM community with initiatives completely inspired by students’ opinions, which are represented by a team of student leaders from every corner of campus.

Even without the network of about 50 student leaders supporting them in their campaign, “Inspired by U” has a level of leadership experience that will allow them to single-handedly run the SG executive board next year. With passion and commitment in tow, they will make a difference that students can witness and appreciate. Also, because of their leadership experience, the candidates have built the relationships needed with the faculty and staff members that can help facilitate their ideas. Not to mention, all three have spent three years each in Student Government and know the logistics of meeting students’ needs and transforming their wishes into a reality.

But the best part about “Inspired by U” is that the candidates care about tradition. First, the team will follow the footsteps of the past two elected administrations (“UFirst” and “Taking U Forward”), and this is something that benefits their campaign. “Inspired by U” knows what has and hasn’t worked in the past. The formula has worked these past two years. Why fix something that isn’t broken? The team is influenced by precedence and is even tackling unfinished business from this year’s administration, like improving the parking system and working on offering take-out dining and a dessert option on campus.

The ticket also cares about UM tradition, an aspect of campus life that is often forgotten. Similar to “Taking U Forward,” “Inspired by U” wants to fortify current Hurricane traditions, while also establishing new ones. With a spirited and unified campus working toward common goals of improvement, Student Government can truly meet the needs of its constituents.

If elected, “Inspired by U” will not only meet the standards that have been set by the two previous SG executive boards, they will surpass them.

Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.