For President: Seth Rosenstein

Despite some success by President MacCracken behind the scenes this year, students have never been more disengaged and annoyed by the Student Government than they are right now. Especially with the recent silliness surrounding the way elections are carried out, very few people at this university take the SG seriously. The organization needs fundamental change. Only one candidate promises to deliver that change: Seth Rosenstein.

This was, by far, the most difficult of the decisions to make. All four candidates have the potential to perform well. Nirvana Habash is a very personable leader, who wants nothing but the best for the students of American University. I truly hope that she is given a fair shot at winning. Nate Bronstein understands how the system works, and understands why students are frustrated with it. He is a very charismatic leader as well. Anthony Dunham understands the intricacies of the system better than anybody, and he is as fair minded of an individual that exists in the SG.

But each of these candidates is too quick to defend the current system. They all seem to believe that, if minor adjustments are made, students will suddenly become engaged. I'm afraid to say that I do not believe that to be the case. The SG needs a leader that is not afraid to shake things up, and one that isn't overly concerned with getting along with everyone. Seth deserves a chance to change things.

In their endorsements last year, The Eagle editorialized that "The SG needs more student participation and more student feedback- the campus-wide disinterest in student government proves that things need to be shaken up." That was true then, and it is even more true today. Why should we keep advancing the same people upward in the organization and expect a different result? Nate, Nirvana, and Anthony have all been in positions where they have had an opportunity to increase student engagement, and nothing changed. Seth brings with him enough experience to know what can be done and what needs to be done, but not so much experience that he has become ingrained in the system. As a Senator, he has been the most accessible to his constituents, holding regular office hours on campus. The bills that he has introduced have focused on issues that actually matter, from bike racks on campus to the price of parking. His idea to have 50% of his cabinet come from outside the SG may sound like a gimmick, but I actually believe that it would do wonders for the organization. And as the former Director of Recruitment, I know for a fact that there is enough interest out there to make this happen.

The SG needs fundamental change. Students don't care about it, and that is unfortunate, because we deserve to have robust representation to the powers that be. Seth understands this, and he is our best chance to lead the SG in a way that will make students want to be active and involved in what is going on right here on their own campus. At the beginning of all of this, I didn't plan to endorse anybody. But now, I truly believe that the SG needs to be changed. I know that many of you do as well. I hope that you will join me in supporting Seth Rosenstein on Tuesday or Wednesday.