By 5 p.m. on Monday at Boston University, the idea that face-to-face contact and sincere conversation are more powerful than Facebook fan pages and Twitter well-wishes was cemented.
After a campaign for Student Union Executive Board that saw Greek Life take on School of Management protégés take on an incomplete campaign slate, Arthur Emma, Daniel Ellis and Ben Noble of Renew BU were deemed victorious, raking in about 60 percent of votes cast by 3,515 students. Based on the campaign, it was well-deserved, and if the group’s work thus far is any indication, it was the most suited for the position and has the most potential to represent students to this university’s administration.
From the get-go, the winning slate had the most thought-out and cohesive plan of action. It was the only group that was ready to campaign by the Student Election Committee’s initial deadline, it was unquestionably the most present voice of the three through the campaign period across campus and its goals &- though they might still be too specific and arbitrary for Renew BU’s own good &- were clear and transparent. More importantly, the slate’s theme of connecting students to their school and administrators has been the strongest statement made to BU over the past few weeks.
Though its missing slot for a secretary was filled by a candidate from BUnited, an opposing slate, Renew BU perpetuated a sense of cohesion and unity that BU has not seen in at least two years. While only a single slate ran for office last year, and voters were resultantly few and far between, the results from Monday were significantly wider than they were a year before in 2008, when Matt Seidel was elected president. Seidel received 1,376 votes to the next-best vote-getter’s 1,248, according to a Daily Free Press story from April 2008. Comparatively, this year’s President-elect Emma received 2,159 votes Monday to BUnited’s Taylor Riley’s 676. Students spoke, and they spoke loudly.
With the unyielding and decisive support of their peers, the members of Renew BU now have an obligation to take their job seriously and put their print quota poster boards and Obama-throwback buttons into solid work and results. No more gimmicks, no more fancy animation &- the group needs to now focus on tangible evidence that the support it received was worth the time student spent giving it. Renew BU has the attention of this university &- more than Union has had in recent history &- and what it does now will decide if the sheen of its insignia is genuine.
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