Students sometimes ask, “What is the purpose of the Student Government Association, anyway?” After spending three years on SGA, I know that students are frustrated with the lack of results from student government. Executive boards often set their aspirations too high among a group that is too limited by the titles that define them. And while campaigning, candidates often confuse what is ideal with what is necessary. Every year during election season, candidates play to the crowd with campaign buzz words like “apathy,” “shared governance,” and “school spirit.” But I know student government should be about the real issues on campus-issues that students care about and discuss on a daily basis. SGA is not meant to be a service organization or programming body; student government is meant as a vehicle for student advocacy. Before we add more to the ambitions of SGA, SLU students deserve a leader who will improve quality instead of just adding quantity. The next student government executive board needs to have a clear understanding of student needs, a desire to end SGA’s preoccupation with its own bureaucracy, and the experience necessary to get the job done, whether it be through SGA or another equally important facet of student life at SLU. I envision a student government whose platforms are succinct, specific and attainable. It is unacceptable for students to pay $430 for a general parking permit and not have an open spot in close proximity to where they live. As SLU vies to become the top Catholic university in the country, the lack of competent academic advising should no longer be tolerated. And perhaps most importantly, I want to see the renovation of Walsh and Clemens completed so that my fellow students do not have to live in mold-infested rooms. As your presidential candidate, I want all students to raise their expectations for SGA. My goal is to ensure that student voices are not only heard, but taken to the administration by a president who faces the same campus issues that you do-and who commands the respect necessary to deliver the results we all deserve.Maria Rozier is a junior in the Cook School of Business. She is the presidential candidate of Stepping [email protected]