Throughout this election cycle, Michael Harriss has impressed us with the clarity of his vision and strength of his platform. He has set clear goals that don’t simply sound good, but are realistic as well, such as securing a 24-hour library and pairing new international students with “buddies” who will help them navigate their way through SLU. As a sophomore, we believe Harriss to have a decided advantage in the fact that he could potentially carry over his presidency to a second term. This would allow him more opportunities to accomplish his goals and cultivate strong relationships with administrators and students.

In our eyes, his prior experience and exposure to SGA as the current administrative vice president gives him a definite edge over his competitor. By the same token, while his candidacy gains credibility from his experience in SGA, his lack of experience outside of SGA could potentially create vulnerabilities in his presidency. If elected, Harriss should look to his executive vice president to fill in any gaps in that experience.

Brian Hackworth’s platform is one of big ideas.

His goal of restructuring SGA, however, is confusing and problematic. Steps should surely be made to streamline some of the Senate’s existing inefficiencies, but inflating an already bloated bureaucracy by creating a bevy of new positions is not the answer. Hackworth is convinced that this overhaul will be a relatively speedy process, and he might be right-if his entire ticket is elected with him. If he is teamed with members of The Next Step, we worry the Senate could be deadlocked for months as they try to reinvent the wheel. Hackworth’s other major goal, to resurrect a SLU football team, is another impractical venture. Big ideas and long-term goals should be a staple of every president’s platform, but they should be balanced with smaller, more attainable steps.