This past school year, Student Government (SG) had to address various hardships such as the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, racial discrimination and a national economic recession that has threatened not only student interests, but their well-being and safety. These issues are likely to continue affecting us this upcoming school year, and with the voting period for the SG elections opening up this morning and lasting until March 16, our next SG representatives must show both ambition and the experience necessary to get things done.

For these reasons, we, the editorial board, endorse McKenzy Heavlin and Natalie Bress for 2021-2022 student body president and vice president.

While neither ticket blew our editorial members away, Heavlin and Bress have shared a more extensive and realistic platform, with some of its highlights including a detailed outline for their prioritized projects and their robust expansion of sustainability and university resources for students. Likewise, Heavlin and Bress have received notable support for their campaign, including an endorsement from Graduate Student Association President Lexie Malico, highlighting their current and future commitment to the graduate student cause, one of the most important student issues that continues to need attention.

We also cannot dismiss Heavlin’s experience as the current student body vice president, especially with his deep involvement in various executive projects, including SG’s COVID-19 commission. Heavlin has also shown that he knows how to directly address university administration and their response to issues such as the pandemic. Whether the University does return to in-person operations next year or we continue yet another arduous semester of online school, Heavlin has expertise in adapting to these difficult situations.

While Erinn Foote and Madissen Keys’ campaign is certainly more ambitious, last week’s debate showed they do not have a strong and realistic plan to enact their goals. Both Foote and Keys showed they did not fully understand the powers and limits the student body president and vice president have, especially with funding and the University budget. Foote also made several questionable comments regarding her ability to work with both the Student Senate and university administration, showing a lack of collaboration in the case both disagreed with her actions and policies.

Heavlin and Bress, meanwhile, showed much more promise in following through with their agenda, and next year, it is imperative for our executive representatives to keep their promises. 

However, Heavlin and Bress’s platform is not perfect and we encourage them, if elected, to continue working with students to address some of the critiques their campaign has faced. Like Foote and Keys, their policies towards diversity and representation for students of color and international students need to become much more extensive if both Heavlin and Bress seek to fully represent the student body, and we hope, if elected, both will work towards creating a more inclusive platform. 

We encourage students to vote for Heavlin and Bress tomorrow when voting opens up to the public. We believe these candidates are the most qualified to represent the student body’s interests and needs, and it is important for students to vote for the candidates that show the biggest potential in their advocacy.

This unsigned editorial is the opinion of Technician’s editorial board and is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief.