This past Tuesday, students running for student body president and vice president sat down for the annual student body elections debate. Representatives of The New Hampshire staff attended this debate in order to become more informed on the candidates Elena Ryan and José Calvo, Carley Rotenberg and Alexandria Burroughs and Chris Mignanelli and Luke Daly. The New Hampshire has historically always endorsed a student body president, however the tradition has seemed to diminished over the past few years. With The New Hampshire’s immense reporting on Student Senate throughout the 2016-17 academic year, we have found it appropriate to once again endorse a candidate. After much deliberation and an anonymous newsroom vote, The New Hampshire is endorsing Elena Ryan and José Calvo for student body president and vice president.
The New Hampshire believes that Ryan would be the best candidate for student body president mainly because of her constant efforts and proactive actions towards standing up for student rights. Ryan recently testified in Concord on Senate Bill 3, which would potentially affect students’ right to vote. Regardless of the issue at hand, Ryan demonstrated the confidence and passion we believe is needed to become a student body president who does not back down. We believe when in a position of administration and student conflict, Ryan would not yield to please administration, but continue to press for what students want.
When asked the yes or no question of if she would always stand for the majority, Ryan was the only candidate to say “no.” It is clear that she has an understanding for the importance of a voice for minority groups on campus. We at The New Hampshire believe that this unique ideology Ryan holds is necessary in becoming a president for all students at UNH.
In addition to Ryan’s qualities, we believe that Calvo is clearly the strongest vice presidential candidate. As the only vice president running with experience in Student Senate, Calvo has served on the Student Senate council for health and wellness. His experience and connections made regarding the well-being of students shows that Calvo has a true passion and concern for students. Calvo is also an active member in fraternity and sorority life. As a leader and brother of Phi Mu Delta, Calvo also has the experience of working within this system that involves many students on campus.
We at The New Hampshire would like to add that we believe Carley Rotenberg and Alexandria Burroughs would be a strong duo to hold office. We have great respect for the work Rotenberg has shown this past academic year as student body Vice President and have seen that she is a dedicated member of the Student Senate. We wish to see Rotenburg to continue to work within a prominent leadership position in senate because of these qualities.
When it comes to Chris Mignanelli and Luke Daly, we at The New Hampshire would like to encourage and compliment their passion for getting more students involved and well educated on the issues and actions of the Student Senate. We hope to see Mingnanelli and Daly continue to engage with this goal as active members of senate, working towards this greater outreach. Because of Mingnanelli and Daly’s inexperience with Student Senate, we believe that the position of student body president and vice president is ill fit for them.
We urge all students to read the platforms, explore the Facebook pages and interviews of all candidates. Regardless of who you believe is best for the job, we at The New Hampshire encourage all students to take part in the voting for the future of the student voice at our university.
