PRIOR TO theusual hype incurred by the onslaught of Spring Break, the annual circus of student government elections always provides a good chuckle for those of us in the expecting-to-graduate camp, if for no other reason than the fact that every year the faces change but the chalking, rhetoric and tactics remain eerily similar. Especially with regard to the Student Council presidential election, new faces are packaged in the same old stereotypes: the "frat-star" candidate, the "outsider/reformer" candidate, the "worked my way up inside the organization" candidate, the "spokesperson for under-represented groups" candidate and the "overzealous, not-quite-my-time-yet" candidate.
Though the hot-button issues that rouse student passions may fluctuate over time, the most common question that all candidates for Student Council must in some way address asks, "What do I have to offer Student Council that will make Council and student self-governance relevant to the average University student?"
To many students, Student Council elections are like Groundhog Day, where the entire nation focuses the media spotlight -- even if ever so briefly -- on a rodent in a small Pennsylvania town in order to symbolically predict the length of the season. Likewise, at the University, students are reminded that not only does Council exist, but that the leadership and agenda of that organization is so important that it demands the attention of students for a week or more.
Whether a candidate is part of Council's old guard, a Young Turk ready to mix things up or a reformist outsider ready to challenge the status quo, these individuals perennially struggle to explain to fellow students the potential of Council if managed effectively and their unique vision for the future of the organization. The candidate who succeeds in best selling his answer to his peers -- and follows up with an effective campaign organization on the ground -- will most likely carry elections.
As it has evolved over time, Student Government organizations have slightly detached from popular culture at the University. While groups such as the Honor and Judiciary Committees have definable functions that they provide to the community, the mission of Council is much more difficult to nail down.
Just as the maxim declares, "The devil is in the details," so too does Council grind away at the rough edges of University life in order to provide a smoother experience for students. Debate can go on for hours in Council meetings over what many students would regard as the petty nuances of University life.
As one might expect, many of these little victories gather little attention from either this publication or the student body in general. Though infrequent, some measures do turn a few heads. But perhaps the most frequent attention Council may win is when things go poorly, rather than well.
More often than not the work of Council is the mundane, the unexciting, but the necessary kinks in the fabric of the University that deserve the attention of motivated student leaders. Though detached from the mainstream of student interest, Council continues to serve a very acute role in the pantheon on student self-governance organizations.
This begs the question: What are the implications of an election process that demands that a candidate make relevant an institution that, by its very nature, is frequently uninteresting to (or even absent from) the average student's perception? Sometimes this forces candidates to promise grandiose initiatives or massive overhauls of Council itself.
Sexy claims can be made that insinuate what we once thought was Observatory Hill can be remade into the Big Rock Candy Mountain. However, students should be reassured that though it may not deliver a chicken in every pot, Council requires well-equipped student leaders with vision, drive and superior "people skills."
From a personal perspective, the most effective leaders of Council have been those who exuded a sense of familiarity and comfort when dealing with other students or administrators. They are the students you would call your friend at the end of the year. It is important to remember that at the end of the day, Council is ultimately responsible to students.
While it can be fun to play "grown up" with office hours, papers to file and even an administrative assistant, my best advice for President-elect Noah Sullivan and his executive board is to treat other students like students. Go to bars or parties. Talk to people. Drop the political façade after the election and let go of trying to "sell" people to the necessary politics of the day.
Just because many students cannot name what Council is doing for them on a daily basis does not mean it is being ineffective. That is the challenge of leading an organization that will naturally receive bad press more often than good.
But with patience, genuineness and a smile, much can be accomplished that makes this University a better place than it was when any of us arrived. And that is the best essence of the student self-governed inheritance that makes this institution so special.
Preston Lloyd served as a Student Council committee chair for two years and as First-Year Council president. He can be reached at plloyd@cavalierdaily.com.
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