Paul Duffy ’05 won the FUSA presidential election over incumbent Kevin Neubauer ’05 in a landslide on Tuesday night. Duffy should take advantage of his large base of student support as soon as possible.
On election night, the lower level of the BCC was filled mostly with Duffy supporters awaiting the results. Such enthusiasm for a FUSA election hasn’t been seen at Fairfield in recent years. Voter turnout was higher in this election than it has been in more than 15 years, which may be attributed to Duffy’s diligent and persistent campaign.
It is obvious Duffy has the support of Fairfield students. Hopefully, he can translate that loyalty and support into a successful year as FUSA president. His voter turnout is a good indication that he can generate interest in FUSA events among students, an ability FUSA has lacked in recent years. Still, Duffy and his predecessors have at least one thing in common – he will face the same challenges they did: student apathy, and a lack of unity among campus organizations.
He will also face a few challenges unique to his administration. Some of the projects Neubauer is currently working on as president are scheduled to be completed next year, so Duffy must step in and take over in the middle of those projects. Also, Jillian Grant ’05 was re-elected to the office of Vice President of Programming. She was Neubauer’s running mate in Tuesday’s election. Duffy and Grant need to put any difficulties presented by this situation behind them.
Duffy also needs to work on making his campaign platform a reality. Every year FUSA presidential candidates run on platforms addressing obvious problems plaguing the student body that may be impossible to fix in just a one-year term.
Duffy said he wanted to “Bring all clubs and organizations together” – a lofty goal indeed. But the goal is commendable and may prove a useful tactic in uniting the students under a common government. These past few years it has seemed FUSA was at times not a student government so much as a potential pawn of the administration. Any effort at unifying and strengthening the voice of students would be welcome.
Mr. Duffy, you face many challenges on the road ahead. We congratulate you on your victory. If anything, the overwhelming turnout of voters shows students want to see change in FUSA. We hope you will deliver.
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