Any one of the three candidates for Student Government could be president; and not only that, they could all be good presidents. After hours of debate and interviews, The Miami Hurricane finally concluded that Jeremy Crystal would be the best candidate to lead UM’s student body.
Brandon Gross, another presidential candidate, seems the likeliest of them all for the position. He has essentially been primed for this job during the past few years. His team is the powerhouse ticket – all of the qualifications are there, all of the experience is there and all of the connections are there. Though Dan Lazaro is equally as brilliant, and passionate enough to have dropped other extracurricular commitments in order to be SG president, one thing is missing from both his and Gross’ ticket – the ‘c’ word: charisma.
We like Jeremy Crystal. We aren’t endorsing him based on a resume. We’re endorsing him based on our belief that he is the person who will do the best job at getting people excited about SG. Crystal is genuine and brings a fresh face and fresh, down-to-earth ideas to the race. SG presidential elections only come once a year so, when they do, we should vote for real change.
His ticket has enough experience to get the job done – all of the tickets do, actually. But what sets Crystal’s ticket apart from the others is the “open door” approach to the student body. He also spoke about wanting to have a “dialogue” with the student body. It seems the most novel idea of all the campaigns because, for once, it’s not the same old rhetoric. This is a candidate who wants to communicate directly with the students to whom he will answer instead of leaving that for the administration to handle. Furthermore, because Crystal doesn’t already have as deep ties to SG and administrators, he will be a face and voice for the students who aren’t already involved in the SG process.
Ultimately, however, our perceptions are irrelevant. The reality of SG elections on this campus is that the candidate with the largest “fan-base” wins and based on the laundry list of student organization with which all of the candidates are involved, it will surely be a competitive race.
When you go to vote Monday through Wednesday, remember that platforms aren’t everything. Instead, take a good look at the person because, ultimately, that person will become the face of the university’s student body for one year.
Brandon Gross and Dan Lazaro are very qualified candidates, but Jeremy Crystal has the whole package.
The Miami Hurricane editorial board endorses Jeremy Crystal for Student Government president.