In a student organization as new as the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), experience is the most valuable trait a leader can have.
Thus, incumbent Gavin Keirans is the best choice for UPUA president.
After a full year learning the ins and outs of the position, Keirans has a stronger handle on how to get things done than either of the other candidates.
The most important results of Keirans' term in office may not be entirely tangible, but after a year, Keirans understands how to operate effectively in UPUA. He has built relationships with administrators and trustees that no incoming candidate has, connections that are invaluable to the fledgling organization. It is these connections that will make it a lot easier for Keirans and his successors to accomplish their goals in the future.
One of UPUA's biggest weaknesses, at least at this juncture, is its high turnover rate. Retaining Keirans for another year helps to stabilize its foundation and provide the groundwork for a much stronger organization in the future.
Keirans' accomplishments extend beyond his experience and improvement of the organization's infrastructure.
Most importantly, he helped secure for the organization a budget of nearly $140,000 for next year, giving UPUA a degree of financial independence and freeing it from the whim of Penn State administration. This is a colossal step in legitimizing UPUA as an organization.
Keirans understands the value of a student government that actually has some teeth, as opposed to settling as a student advocacy group. His administration has raised the credibility of UPUA and will continue to do so over the next year.
His platform contains concrete initiatives that will strongly benefit the student body.
First of all, Keirans sees value in a unified student voice and plans to implement it by way of his all-college cabinet. His good samaritan policy, which grants amnesty to students who call for help for other students in need, has been successful at other universities and seems like a no-brainer. Improving FTCAP and expanding freshman outreach both seem like good ideas as well.
Both of the other candidates for UPUA president have their share of strengths, but overall, neither seems fit to lead as well as Keirans.
Samantha Miller has a solid platform and a proven dedication to the student body. Her interest in student opinion by way of biannual referenda is promising, and she has demonstrated strong communication skills by bringing Gov. Ed Rendell to campus this past semester.
Miller, however, seems too content with UPUA as it is, unwilling to try to develop its power. UPUA has great potential as an advocate and governing body for students at this university, but it will require an assertiveness and a vision that Miller lacks.
Miller is a valuable asset to the organization, and she should remain involved in UPUA, but simply not in the leadership role of president.
Nick Borsuk has served well within the Commonwealth Campus Student Government (CCSG), and would continue to function well in a watchdog role, keeping UPUA in check.
He also has some incredibly practical ideas we'd like to see implemented, like expanding the drop/add period and giving UPUA the power to recognize specific student groups.
While otherwise a strong candidate, Borsuk's idea to oversee both UPUA and CCSG at the same time is frighteningly contradictory given the inevitability that the two groups will sometimes have conflicting goals. It's impossible and in fact paradoxical to represent everyone's best interests.
If Keirans is retained as president, it is imperative that he is open to working with others. The relationships he has built -- with administrators, trustees and other students -- are only worth something if he can be diplomatic and flexible. He also needs to commit himself and UPUA to a high level of transparency.
Keirans has spent the last year laying the groundwork for a lot of big things for UPUA, which is valuable, but if he is re-elected, we need to see results.
Similar themes exist in all three candidates' platforms, like improving the freshman experience, encouraging more student participation in UPUA and controlling student fees. But what a president wants to do is irrelevant if he or she is incapable of actually doing it. Of the three, Keirans is by far the most capable of accomplishing his goals.
