Grand Marshal: Nancy Bush

The Polytechnic endorses Nancy Bush ’19 for Grand Marshal. As the highest elected student official at Rensselaer, the GM serves not only as the head of the Student Senate, but as the leader of the student body. It is her responsibility to understand and voice the concerns of the student body to the proper parties. Consequently, the GM bears a significant amount of responsibility to not only those in the Senate, but also to the entire Rensselaer community.

The Poly was impressed with the substance and thoughtfulness of Bush’s platform, and her ability to elaborate on specific points during her interview—including when it is appropriate for her to express opinion, her plans for making the information shared in Senate meetings more accessible, and much more.

Ultimately, it is clear that she has extensive knowledge on, and is genuinely invested in, these issues.

For the past year, Bush has served as the Facilities and Services Chairperson, wherein she tripled the committee’s membership and oversaw a variety of impactful projects, such as the implementation of water bottle filling stations, increased study spaces, and the development of a composting proposal. Committees are the heart of the Senate; they are where senators and students can make changes that genuinely better the lives of students. The Poly is sure that Bush’s experience in, and enthusiasm for, this aspect of the Senate would transfer to the rest of the committees and their operations.

Bush has a comprehensive understanding of student-administration relationships that belies a complex perspective. Rather than denounce the entire administration due to recent concerns, she has expressed that the Union, and Student Government, must foster a better relationship in specific areas, such as with the Division of Student Life. During her time as the chairperson of FSC—a committee which relies heavily on administrative collaboration—she continued to achieve, even when relations were tense. In doing so, we believe Bush demonstrated that she has a nuanced outlook on student-administration relations that would enable progress in this area for the upcoming year.

Members of the student body have expressed concerns about Bush’s political views as expressed on social media, but The Poly has found no indicators that her opinions have adversely affected her ability to represent her constituencies throughout our coverage of the Student Senate.

Of the candidates, Bush has best exhibited that she has the strength and resolution required of an effective leader in these uneasy times. The Poly is confident that she would not bend under pressure.