The Class of 2006 spent the last four years believing that major changes were just around the corner. With each chancellor-president, president-elect, president ad interim and actual president, the student body awaited reform, but no tangible progress was made. Some of our demands may have seemed menial or overambitious, but the administration’s unwillingness to hear its undergraduates left us with a sense of disaffection. The lackluster interest in the Student Union elections demonstrates our sentiment. For example, past Executive Boards have pleaded for a sensible Guest Policy, but administration bureaucracy and “studies” last longer than most students’ stay here. We would love our Student Union to voice our concerns, but we are afraid that its efforts will fall on deaf ears, as they have before. Despite this, I beg everybody to vote in the Union elections.

We have demonstrated our skepticism about the Union’s effectiveness with a weak round of nominations. Now, we must show that despite our reservations about the Union, we want it to work. The only way to do that is to give its Executive Board a mandate. Sure, we only have one position contested, but let’s give Brooke a chance by giving her team the vote. With popular support, it may actually work. A poor voter turnout would just give the administration more reason to overlook the Union. So please take a minute on the StudentLink to vote.

Rory Gill CAS ’06