Thresher endorses Sanjula Jain for Student Association President

By Staff Editorial     2/7/12 6:00pm

This year's Student Association presidential debate featured a great performance by all the candidates, proving the stereotype that Rice students are engineers lacking any charisma at least partially false. However, after viewing the competitive verbal sparring, in the eyes of the Thresher editorial staff, Sanjula Jain is the clear choice for our next SA president.

This is certainly not to say that the other candidates were without merits. Benjamin Chou articulated praiseworthy ideas but many of them, such as increased financial aid, are beyond the scope of the SA's power. The Thresher hates to criticize a student for dreaming too big, but acknowledgment of practical limitations is key to a leader's success. Ben Hawriluk also had some quality ideas and handled himself well, but as a freshman, Hawriluk simply lacks the experience required for the job. It was a telling moment in the debate when he could not make a substantial comment on the sale of KTRU, as he was in high school at the time. Simply because we do not support Hawriluk's bid for presidency does not mean he should end his budding political career. He has handled himself well these past weeks and has shown a willingness to put himself in highly public situations in his first year, and we hope to see him involved in future endeavors involving campus issues.

In contrast to Hawriluk and Chou, Jain has a wealth of experience with the SA and credible policies. As External Vice President, Jain worked on several successful projects including S.W.E.A.T. classes. Her current platform includes several common-sense ideas such as addressing waitlists and changing LPAP requirements. We hope that if Jain wins the election, she will hold to her promises and make the SA and this university a better place.

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