Endorsement | No-brainer

You might not have imagined a freshman campaigning under the slogan “Sex under the button, vote Abe Sutton,” would one day become the respected president of the Undergraduate Assembly.

We don’t need to split hairs: with or without our — or anyone else’s — endorsement, Abe Sutton will be the next Undergraduate Assembly president. He’s uncontested. That said, we wholeheartedly endorse him as well.

Over the past year, Abe has carried out his position as vice president more than efficiently. He has transformed Steering into productive meetings that students groups generally want to attend. He has been incredibly active, meeting with many groups and administrative figures regularly. And in a year tainted and defined by poor relations within the UA, Abe has commanded the respect of most of the assembly’s members.

We also think Abe’s goals are worthy and feasible. Ensuring that Muslim students can observe their religion without it affecting their academic life is an incredibly important task and one Abe rightly puts emphasis on. On a larger level, we think Abe has the experience, influence and vision to create a forum for students to voice what they want the UA to do — another pillar of his campaign.

That said, there are things we’re looking out for in the coming year. Abe needs to ensure that the executive board is unified or next year will be as ineffectual as the last. We also hope that even with no more UA elections in his future, he will continue to serve the UA as effectively and as enthusiastically as he has in the past. While we’ve seen an unusually lackluster Abe in this uncontested presidential race, we believe that’s due to the fact that there’s only so much one can — or needs to do — as the only candidate. Still, we’re looking for him to jump back into action as president.

Abe is a solid candidate who understands UA’s role on campus. We likely would’ve endorsed him over any other candidate this year. Nonetheless, the UA faces a plethora of challenges. We’re rooting for Abe and the UA because we’re rooting for initiatives that help the student body. At the same time, we’re watching you, Abe — you’ve proved yourself as a VP, but now it’s time to step up to the big stage.

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