Editorial : DO too divided to formally endorse next SA president; slim majority backs Lustig

Both presidential candidates of Student Association, the university’s student government, presented well-argued and innovative plans to The Daily Orange Editorial Board on Sunday afternoon.

Taylor Carr and Dylan Lustig, the two candidates, offered major plans that often overlapped — namely tweaking the way SA distributes the student fee to organizations, reaching out to students in more effective ways and being more transparent.  

The board decided not to officially endorse a candidate for SA president. Any endorsement would misrepresent how deeply divided the members of the board were as we debated who would make the best president. The majority of the board favored Dylan Lustig over Taylor Carr in a 5-4 vote. 

Five of nine board members favored Lustig for these reasons:

• He plans to hold ‘office hours’ with student organizations to discuss how to improve the way funds are distributed, particularly to multicultural organizations that are unhappy with the current system.

• He plans to attend or have members of his staff at student organization meetings and events, as well as visit classes throughout the semester to gather student input and better address student concerns. This is something The D.O. strongly endorses. 

• His energy and demeanor stand in stark contrast to typical SA leadership. He’s unafraid to speak out against other campus leaders. But on the whole, his leadership style is one of honesty, humbleness and complete transparency — it is very refreshing. He would rather support the issues assembly members and students raise than force or focus on his own agenda. 

Four of nine board members favored Carr for these reasons:

• His work with non-traditional students and to secure a spot on the assembly for a part-time student is very commendable and shows a willingness to change things to better respond to student concerns. Carr offers a laundry list of accomplishments such as these. 

• Carr offers detailed changes to the organization, such as defining the roles of the vice president and chief of staff, while Lustig provides less specific plans. All of Carr’s plans seem, in general, very realistic.

• Carr’s involvement in a number of student organizations and confident leadership style ensures he’ll have a relatively easy transition into the role. His connections around campus will definitely serve him well in office. 

The closeness of this race offers students the opportunity for their opinions to make a difference on campus. Given these reasons and others, students, particularly those involved in student organizations, should see it as their obligation to the campus and their peers to vote this week on MySlice for SA president.