During his time in the USG Senate, Jackson has engaged with many facets of the USG’s agenda, pursuing projects in several different areas. For example, Jackson has helped with the creation of a site where students can submit and vote on course suggestions, the revamp of the SCORE website, the revision of an alumni-student mentoring program through Career Services and decidedly less glamorous tasks, such as working to implement the third Committee on Background and Opportunity Survey. This variety of experience sets him apart from his opponent, Benedict Wagstaff ’14, whose longer term of service as USG social chair has certainly given him more exposure to the USG but with only limited depth, as he has not been directly involved in a broad range of policy decisions. Further, Jackson’s demonstrated initiative during his time in the Senate sets him apart. He started the Clash of the Colleges competition with a fellow senator in order to foster residential college pride while promoting civic engagement opportunities. Such an experience speaks to his clear vision and strong leadership abilities.
Jackson’s experience lays a suitable foundation for his thoughtful and ambitious plans for the USG’s next administration. While many candidates for this office have offered several exciting proposals, the range of Jackson’s policy proposals reflects a balance between ambitious endeavors and simpler measures that will make life easier for students. From the adaptation of the Princeton calendar to accommodate a shopping period at the beginning of the semester to a new section on the USG website for students to give feedback on the Senate’s funding decisions, Jackson has demonstrated that he understands students and the limitation of ideas. Additionally, during the Board’s interview with Jackson, he conducted himself with poise and demonstrated an astute understanding of the role of the USG president as both an advocate for students’ opinions and as a representative of the students’ best interests, even when those two roles conflict. On the basis of these qualifications, we enthusiastically support Shawon Jackson ’15 for USG president.
The Editorial Board endorses Carmina Mancenon ’14 for vice president because she has the most relevant experience out of all of the vice presidential candidates and brings a diverse array of beneficial proposals to the position. Mancenon has proven herself as both a leader and team member through her role in successfully executing numerous popular USG projects. She demonstrated leadership and initiative when the committee she led as Campus and Community Affairs Committee chair founded TigerDeals — a service in which members of the community offer special discounts to Princeton students — and helped to organize Communiversity. Most recently, she successfully organized Princeton’s first restaurant week, a campaign promise from her candidacy that she fulfilled. While the other candidates have been involved in numerous committees and initiatives, we believe that Mancenon has the strongest record of actually accomplishing her goals. Because we believe that she will be able to get things done, we endorse Carmina Mancenon ’14 for USG vice president.
All the candidates demonstrate admirable passion and dedication toward the betterment of Princeton. Regardless of the results, we hope each of them will stay involved in the USG and continue to pursue his or her goals. That being said, Jackson and Mancenon stand out as the best choices for president and vice president, respectively, because of their relevant experience, professionalism and achievable vision. These three qualities put them far ahead of the competition, and we urge students to vote for them in this election.
Brandon Holt ’15 and Ray Chao ’15 recused themselves from the writing of this editorial.
One of the vice presidential candidates, Daniel Johnson, is a contributing news writer and copy editor for The Daily Princetonian.
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