WHILE many Virginians vote today in the presidentialprimaries, feverish campaigning is occurring here on Grounds. The jewel of this election cycle -- Student Council President -- is hotly contested by three candidates. As of yesterday, the three candidates have spent $399.02 collectively, and countless Facebook group invitations have been sent. Although the national presidential candidates may garner more attention, the three candidates for Student Council President have a more direct influence on our lives.I interviewed all three, and through their responses, got a glimpse into the future of student self-governance. Heed their words carefully: One of these three will be our next president.
A third-year majoring in history, Brennan Lowery is applying to the fifth-year public policy program because he "loves being part of the University so much." Apparently he doesn't love the University enough to stick around this semester, however. Lowery is spending the spring studying abroad in Australia. If elected president, he will have to resign or be impeached immediately, as he won't be on Grounds to execute his duties.
As a result, many have deemed him a joke candidate who is more interested in humoring his fellow Whethermen than serving the student body. Lowery asserts that he doesn't "want to fall into the trap of taking things too seriously." Overall, Lowery is a populist candidate who devotes more video time on his campaign Web site to humorous policy statements than his semi-serious announcement speech. ?
A second-year student with 811 Facebook friends, Matt Schrimper is an avid networker. As a Government major from Nashville, Indiana, he is a Resident Advisor and brother in Phi Delta Theta fraternity. While engaged in the University community, Schrimper hasn't been paying attention during football games. When asked what University football player he was most like, Schrimper was unable to name a single Cavalier. Although he's a poor sports fan, Schrimper is a skilled politician. He served as First Year Council President and currently represents the College of Arts & Sciences in StudCo.
Schrimper has bold plans. He envisions holding "a full body meeting each semester, where the president would give a State of the Student Council address and say where things are and where we want to go." His main goal is for "Student Council to stop being reactive and start being proactive."
He's also more skilled at critiquing StudCo than himself. When asked about his largest leadership mistake, he vaguely referenced serving as FYC President and learning "that it's important to give everyone a very broad perspective." Likewise, he accounted for the current StudCo administration's mistakes by noting that "the Student Council institution, but not the administration, is flawed." His unwillingness to directly answer tough questions aside, Schrimper is a passionate and personable candidate.
The third candidate is Isaac Wood, a third-year Government and Economics double major from Raleigh, North Carolina. Wood sees himself as Mikell Simpson because "I'm someone that people haven't heard a lot about, but I can make a big impact and definitely be a positive force for the University." He even claims to have secured Simpson's official endorsement. Wood is active in the University Democrats, as a research analyst at the Center for Politics and as a treasurer of the club water polo team.
Wood's campaign has been in hot water. He was criticized for his dating relationship with the president of the UDems, a student group that recently endorsed Wood. Wood promises that his love interest did not participate or vote in the endorsement process. Likewise, Wood's campaign financing has come into question. He has outspent his opponents over 5:1, and seeks donations from students in exchange for t-shirts. As of yesterday, Wood reported spending $339.90. He attributes the large figure to "diligent reporting and an interest in transparency."
Wood's intimate understanding of University policy is very impressive. He successfully led a campaign to reduce textbook prices by working with professors and the University bookstore. During his time as co-chair of the Student Life Committee, he has been disappointed by StudCo's lack of involvement in the University community. Wood faults representatives for sitting in their office hours each week and not actively engaging their constituents. He says "waiting for someone to come to you is not outreach," and thinks "representing students isn't something that takes a two-hour meeting each week."
Overall, each of these campaigns advocates directly engaging the student body and making StudCo more efficient. Yet, each candidate is his own man. Lowery is a down-to-earth, humorous candidate with few specifics and no direct StudCo experience. Schrimper is a professional, approachable candidate with the most direct StudCo experience (for better or worse). Wood is an intellectual, detail-oriented candidate who's proven his ability to bring students and administrators together.
As much as I'd like to endorse one candidate, my opinion accounts for only one vote. It's up to each of us to choose a qualified, dedicated and professional candidate. Most importantly, we must choose the candidate we'remost comfortable speaking with. Because if there's one thing we've learned from past administrations, StudCo will mess up, and when it does, it'll be up to us to demand fixing.
James Rogers's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at jrogers@cavalierdaily.com
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