Editor's note: Greg Carbo is the former president of the SGA executive slate Optic during the 2017-18 academic year. Carbo is also a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, of which Empower presidential candidate Julian Simmerman and treasurer candidate Nate Woods are also members. The Daily News publishes Letters to the Editor with minimal copy edits and provides a headline only if the author does not provide one. The views expressed in letters do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. We reserve the right to withhold submitted letters depending on the content. Letters should be approximately 500 words and sent to editor@bsudailynews.com.
Here are my takes on the three slates presidential candidates that I concluded after watching the live streamed debates, reading their platforms and personal experience:
United: I had the opportunity to work with Jake Biller last year when he served as a senator, and in my time I have found that while he tends to appear shy in front of large crowds, he is in fact a very animated and friendly individual. I believe he would be able to build the interpersonal relationships needed to pass legislation, however, in this position, it is essential to possess an extroverted and outspoken persona - this will represent his largest challenge. This role is very demanding of the president to constantly and unexpectedly speak publicly and engage in stressful situations. I have not had the opportunity to see Jake perform at the same level that is needed to be student body president and would urge United to increase the scope of their platform to include more ambitious goals.
Elevate: I have not had the opportunity to speak with the Presidential Candidate of Elevate Aiden Medellin on a personal level. However, I can say that from an outside perspective, Aiden seems like a dedicated individual and a stand-up guy. I believe he has the organizational skills to needed to be president, but question that his experience within the organization may play a role in the lack of ambition regarding his platform. Many of the platform points for Elevate are minor expansions of programs that have been already created or are already being done. I believe that this is a reflection of the fact that SGA has potential to remain stagnant and believe Aiden’s largest challenge will be to bring notable change to Ball State’s campus.
Empower: I have had the opportunity to know the presidential candidate for Empower, Julian Simmerman on a professional and personal level for a number of years. In that time, I have seen Julian become an excellent leader and thoughtful person. I believe that his greatest challenge will be the small details of the presidency that come at unexpected and often unfortunate times. These challenges will most likely come in the form of achieving such ambitious goals while managing the welfare of the student body as a whole at the same time. I believe this platform can genuinely be done and would be a great accomplishment if completed.
After thoughtful consideration, I believe the President I would endorse is Julian Simmerman with the slate Empower.
Throughout this campaign, I have heard that his greatest weakness is his inexperience in SGA, however, I believe that to be his greatness strength as well. I believe that a new perspective is needed every other year in SGA to truly have the organization grow as a whole. In many ways, Empower is fighting for the idea that Optic also fought for - that SGA is for each and every student - not just senators and administration. New, bold ideas are needed and I believe Empower can accomplish them.
Sincerely,
Greg Carbo
SGA President 2017-2018
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