Voting for Student Government (SG) elections begins Monday. Two tickets are competing for the top positions of president, vice president and treasurer.
Although both tickets offer diverse platforms, The Miami Hurricane endorses the “For U” ticket – the team is knowledgeable about campus and SG, represents a wide array of student organizations and interests, and provides innovative short and long-term initiatives.
“For U” encompasses students from all corners of campus. The presidential and vice presidential candidates are involved with Greek life. The treasurer candidate is a part of the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC), and chairs Canes Night Live, one of the largest programming boards on campus.
All three have also worked together outside of SG as leaders in Homecoming and Canes After Dark.
While “Upgrade” has an equally diverse set of qualified candidates, they lack the experience within SG to implement their initiatives.
The ticket is also running on some platforms that are already in the works. For example, an on-campus Redbox is an idea that has been discussed since 2012.
A large part of the “Upgrade” platform emphasizes technology as well. The ticket hopes to develop a QR code as a supplement to Canecards so students can access facilities like the dorms and the library if they lose their physical card. “Upgrade” also wants to create a sustainable picnic table to charge phones and laptops.
Though a QR code and handy chargers are always welcome, they should not carry a significant weight of “Upgrade’s” goals. The ticket lacks one or two strong long-term plans that will be picked up by future SG administrations and will have a more permanent impact for future generations.
On the other hand, “For U” plans to establish gender-neutral bathrooms and more 24/7 food options. These ideas are difficult to realize, but “For U” is wellconnected and can reach out to the right administrators to get the ball rolling.
“For U” is also placing the environment on the forefront of its ambitious list of initiatives. The candidates are working on adding energy floors designed to emit energy to power the lights in the building when students walk over it. This concept would help UM conserve energy for years to come.
Given “For U’s” candidates commitment to the university, they would like to see a version of the president’s picnic attended by every freshmen class during Orientation for graduating seniors.
Both teams bring new ideas that will enhance student life at the university, but “For U” is the top contender given its familiarity with SG and experience working with many facets of campus.
Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.