The headline is a quote from Mae West which perfectly sums up our feelings about campaign period. The Concordia Student Union campaign period is like the honeymoon phase of the relationship: everyone is all smiles and promises. It happens every year. Candidates come forward, they say they want to see substantial changes to the CSU and all we can do as students is mark our ballots, cross our fingers and try to believe them.
The problem is that it is always easier to criticize something from the outside than working to improve it from the inside. Trying to pull the CSU out of the slump it has fallen into will be a near-impossible task; to call it an uphill battle is a huge understatement.
Much like the image problems Concordia is facing based on its less-than-squeaky-clean history, the CSU has had a very tough year management-wise and is paying the price for it. Once people get the idea that the union is poorly run, ineffective and a black hole for student money, it isn’t so easy to change that perspective.
This year we have seen screw-ups of all kinds, shapes and sizes. Some have been laughable and some have been deeply disappointing. Our advice to those brave souls whose interest in student politics has remained intact despite the very convincing arguments to stay away; let this year be a lesson to you.
Consider the mistakes of those who have come before you to be your biggest advantages. Don’t fall into the same negative patterns and foolish miscommunications that others have because you can’t afford to repeat them. In other words, there is no reason not to do better when you can prepare for the worst.
Controlling Concordia student’s money and making decisions that will affect the whole community is a serious thing and not to be taken lightly. Outgoing executives may not have the highest approval rating from council now, but they have a year’s worth of experience under their belts which shouldn’t be overlooked.
They say you don’t learn nearly as much from your successes as you do from your mistakes, and if that is indeed the case, the 2012-13 CSU executives should be experts by now. And basically anyone who was watching from the sidelines should be too.
The students at Concordia deserve representatives who will be transparent, who will make communication a priority and who will organize themselves and their events carefully.
Candidates: we hope you follow through on your promises because a CSU executive that is united and effective benefits everyone, and if you don’t, we won’t hesitate to remind you of them later on.
