It's a tough call, but Manfre is best choice

By Editorial

All the sidewalk chalk, campaign posters and catchy slogans can only mean one thing: Associated Students elections are fast approaching.

Needless to say, all three candidates for AS president have their hands full with campaigning for next Tuesday's vote. Despite their busy schedules, Meagan Diss, Casey Elder and Rachel Manfre sat down with The Santa Clara editorial board to answer our questions.

After a lengthy interview that was followed by an even longer debate, we came to a difficult decision as to who we would endorse this year. Diss, Elder and Manfre are all extremely viable and different candidates, each offering something distinctive and attractive to the students and AS as a whole.

That being said, we feel it is Manfre who will best suit the ever-changing and complex needs of the student body and AS as president next year.

Boasting three years as a member of AS, Manfre's platform offers experience that Diss' and Elder's cannot. Over the past three years, Manfre has not only served as the self-proclaimed "face of AS," but she has also developed strong relationships with administrators -- administrators who will play key roles in the formation and adoption of any new policies Manfre may implement.

Manfre has worked with the non-university members of the Santa Clara neighborhood, developing a professionalism and poise indispensable to any AS president. And not only has Manfre demonstrated her desire to make students excited about AS, but she has reinforced her commitment to doing so.

Such dedication is a must in an AS president. However, we worry that Manfre's experience will hinder her ability to think outside of the box, something she herself admitted would be difficult after three years in AS. And as helpful as current contacts may be, we are concerned that Manfre's already-close alliances with administrators will discourage fresh, critical thinking about AS and its primary goal -- serving students.

It is this desire to work on behalf of the students that Elder emphasized throughout our interview. Stressing the need for better academic advisors and allocation of AS funding to individual student projects, Elder clearly hopes to give back to students.

With regards to diversity, Elder stood out among the candidates. He was the most knowledgeable on Santa Clara's continuing issues with ignorance, and his suggestion to add a race, class and gender class in the Core curriculum catapulted him past his opponents.

Despite Elder's inspiring vision for the future of Santa Clara, we feel that his lack of experience would impede progress next year. And while Elder seems more than willing to learn about AS procedures and bureaucracy, an academic year is a very short tenure for a president. It is likely that the aspects of Elder's vision will be better put in place by a more seasoned AS candidate.

Much like Manfre, Diss offers the experience that Elder lacks. But with only one year of AS behind her, Diss' platform cannot claim the commitment to AS that Manfre's can. Much like Elder, Diss capitalized on her lack of experience in comparison to Manfre, espousing great ideas about reforming AS financial policies to make better use of funds. Diss also impressed with her desire to shift the focus back to the students after a long year of building and expansion. But Diss' plans for next year, however commendable, lacked the luster of Elder's bolder platform.

Whatever the next year may hold, as students, it is in your hands. Vote next Tuesday, April 22, and exercise your right to choose your next leader.