Competition, Please

John Daly ’08 announced his candidacy last week for FUSA Vice President as the running mate of current FUSA President Hutch Williams ’08, who is up for re-election.

Daly is highly competent, personable, and by all indications a fine candidate. But Daly, like all candidates, should have to put his record on the line this election season -something he will not have to do because he is running unopposed.

This is the first time since the position was created in its current form in 2005 that there has not been no competition for the seat, and the first time since 2002 that any candidate on the ballot for a top FUSA position has been unopposed.

The lack of competition is deeply troubling, especially considering the increasingly important role the FUSA Vice President plays in shaping the organization’s agenda.

It is troubling that no students were motivated enough to enter the race, and that all indications point to a number of unfortunate factors that turned away potential candidates.

One factor may be the lack of influence FUSA has historically had -something that was made more obvious last week when FUSA’s opposition to the University’s proposal to change the format of Spring Weekend was muted.

Another factor may be the perceived unhappiness of current FUSA Vice President Megan McConville ’08, who many students feel opted not to run for re-election because of the large burden of work she carried, and the relatively small amount of credit she received, while working with Williams this year.

It is our hope that Daly’s three years of experience as a FUSA senator and involvement in several other organizations will enable him to successfully shape his role into one that sparks the ardent interest of future candidates.