Endorsements for USG

This isn't Palm Beach or Miami-Dade. It's Princeton. As students go to the polls today — their laptops — to vote for their USG representatives, they have the luxury of using some of the nation's most high-tech voting equipment. If only Florida voters had been so lucky.

We encourage undergraduates to participate in this week's USG elections, either by voting online or in the eating clubs, dining halls or Frist. Voting begins today and will continue through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

President

The Daily Princetonian endorses David Gail '03 for the position of USG president. His platform uses a strong and salient metaphor that suggests the University is under-serving its best customers — its students. If elected, Gail will address how the University spends its growing endowment so that future students may reap the benefits of President Shapiro's successful 250th anniversary fund-raising campaign. Gail's broad goals for the future improvement of campus life are complemented by concrete objectives like free Dormnet subscriptions and more practical meal plans.

Perhaps even more importantly, Gail is interested in opening up the USG to students who have not been traditionally involved in its inner workings. He plans to address the USG's lack of female and minority representation by increasing its communication with a variety of student groups. And his status as a USG outsider — and underclassman — will help him reach out to those who have often been left out of USG politics in the past. Though we disagree with Gail on one issue — his advocacy of a tuition freeze — we are confident he will make a fine USG president.

Joe Kochan '02 has more experience in the USG than any other candidate. But despite Kochan's experience and hard work with the USG, he has not articulated a clear vision for his presidency beyond supporting student activism. Regardless of how the election turns out, we are grateful for the contributions that Kochan has made to the USG and hope he will continue to play an important role in the organization.

While Wade Rakes '02 and David Tukey '02 have some experience with the USG, neither of these candidates has provided any kind of long-term view regarding the improvement of student life. And though Erik Zwicker '02 displayed sincere enthusiasm for the position, he has no formal experience with the USG and does not appear to have a firm grasp of a number of current campus issues.

Vice President

The Daily Princetonian endorses Brigitte Anderson '02 for the position of USG vice president. Of the three candidates, she appears to have the most focused platform. Though Anderson has no prior experience with the USG, she has said she is committed to bringing new voices — namely, females and minorities — to the USG discussion table and to addressing issues that are important to these groups. Anderson is already in touch with many different student groups and plans to examine the University's ethnic studies certificate programs to see if there is a need for reform. Her leadership will be an invaluable addition to the USG.

While Rolando Amaya '03 has experience working with the USG as a U-Councilor, his plans for academic reform — such as the addition of a summer school program — seem somewhat unattainable. Adam "Bear" Durrett '03, a USG outsider, feels alienated by the USG's insular governing organization, but has failed to articulate how he would remedy the shortcomings of the current administration.

Next year's USG officers will face many challenges, including welcoming the new University president to Princeton's distinctive campus life. With no clear front-runners for either of the two top USG offices, it is of the utmost importance that students take time to review the candidates' platforms and make well-educated choices about Princeton's future.