Editor’s note: The following endorsements were based off a consensus by The Scout’s section editors, comprised of the Voice editor, sports editor and editor-in-chief. Only presidential and vice presidential candidates were endorsed.
There haven’t been this many names on the student senate ballot in more than a decade, and that makes this job much more challenging. Many of the candidates have the same end goals – school spirit, campus unity and library improvements being among the most frequently cited–but their game plans for achieving them are varied.
The crop of students running for president, six in total, is impressive, and the competition is neck-and-neck.
Blue ticket candidate, senior Emmanuelle Bailey-Greene, sat before the editorial board as a confident, personable contender, and someone who had practical goals and the drive to enact them.
Throughout the past few years, Bailey-Greene has already proved to be an effective leader. She helped write Bradley’s MAP Grant petition for the 2009 rally in Springfield and serves as the National Pan-Hellenic Council chairperson. She transferred to Tennessee State University last semester, and she said the driven leadership she witnessed from other students there inspired her, as well as others, to make more than just talk happen. The past couple years of Senate has seen plenty of talk, so a candidate who puts logical, doable plans on the agenda is just the kind of guidance it requires.
Some of those goals include greater campus integration for freshmen, a more unified Greek system and greater representation for diverse cultural groups. These are not novel ideas. These are ideas voiced year after year, but the difference is Bailey-Greene has solid plans to enact them. Her ideas revolve around connecting groups on campus and fostering communication, something Senate has been sorely lacking in years past. She is not timid about speaking up in Senate, but she still listens to the viewpoints of other senators. In that way, she has indeed proven that she is receptive to students and what they need. She is endorsed.
