The Daily Orange Editorial Board endorses Aysha Seedat and Jane Hong for Student Association president and vice president. The pair’s diverse experiences, proven follow-through and concrete platform make them the best candidates for the job.

While Seedat and Hong are the only candidates on the ballot, they are running in a highly-contested election, with four pairs of write-ins actively campaigning. AJ Abell and Jon Dawson, Jesse Nichols and Moke Hein, and Tatiana Cadet and Fatima Bangura have all announced their candidacies and were considered by the Editorial Board. Safet Mesanovic and Gener Romeu Oliva, who are also running as write-ins, were unable to be interviewed by the Editorial Board.

The write-in candidates are from diverse pockets of campus, representing athletics, Hendricks Chapel, international students and THE General Body. All pairs raised valid concerns and should seek further involvement in SA to perpetuate their messages if they are not elected.

What sets Seedat and Hong apart from the other candidates is their past experiences in SA and understanding of the nuances within the organization. Seedat has served under current SA President Boris Gresely as student life chair and Hong worked on several committees in SA during her freshman year. While an outsider’s perspective is valued, it would be difficult for an outsider to be president. As Seedat said in her interview, “You can’t be president of any organization without any experience.”

Seedat has experience. As student life chair, Seedat worked on the Chat & Dine program and the impending heat lamp initiative. She has proven that she can work persistently to get students what they deserve.

The Seedat-Hong platform is based on two pillars of support and safety, and the pair offered concrete proposals they could realistically obtain. Seedat wants to better integrate transfer students into campus by allowing them to join Greek organizations in their first semesters and moving them out of Sky Hall. Hong wants to focus on giving smaller and multicultural student organizations a space to hold events.

While Seedat and Hong have worked within SA, they both recognize that the organization can be seen as exclusive. Seedat remembered how afraid she felt trying to break into SA and said she wants to increase dialogue with her constituents.

“There is no way as a representative that I can represent every student’s experience on campus,” Seedat said. That would be an impossible task for any one individual. But Seedat and Hong are the best candidates to try.

Published on April 12, 2015 at 10:18 pm