Though the attention of most students is currently focused on spring break, GM Week and student elections are rapidly approaching. Some of you will run for a position in student government. The editorial board of The Poly would like to offer some advice for those people considering running for GM, PU, or a Senate seat.
Don’t run based on one issue if you won’t care about anything else; run if you are flexible enough to deal with whatever comes up while retaining focus on the matters you feel are important.
Don’t run because a friend is also running, or because one asked you to run; run because you believe in the ideas promoted by your party and in your ability to further those goals.
Don’t run if you don’t plan to actively solicit the opinions of your constituents; run if you expect things like dormstorming and office hours to be part of the job description.
Don’t run and then fail to show up to meetings; run if you feel that when you are elected, you have a responsibility to the students to fulfill the duties of your office.
Don’t run if you think the administration will never listen to student government no matter what it does; run if you think that through your actions, the relationship between administration and the students can be improved.
Don’t run if you find it necessary to repeat opinions already stated in order to have the last word; run if you have respect for your peers’ opinions and are willing to compromise to make progress.
Most importantly, don’t run for student government if you’re only going to quibble over trivial matters. Do run if you’re going to stand up and be a staunch advocate for the students on issues that are of real import. The students we elect are supposed to be our leaders; don’t run unless you actually intend to lead.
