A year ago, Dartmouth students went to the polls a discontented lot. Angered by a ridiculously left wing and anti-Greek, do-nothing Student Assembly, voters "threw the bums out" and elected candidates of the center-right.
This year's Assembly proved to be a mixed bag. On the positive side, Reform SA! followed through on its promises to support the Greek system and concentrate on student services.
The Assembly-sponsored fall referendum allowed students to send a powerful message to the administration and Trustees in favor of single-sex fraternities and sororities. By far the most significant political event of the year, the referendum's results safeguarded the position of the Greek system on this campus for years to come.
On the student services front, the Assembly successfully lobbied DarTalk last fall to accelerate the purchase of a new phone system. Beginning this fall, crosstalk should be eliminated once and for all! Students should also be able to choose from a wide variety of options such as call waiting, call forwarding, voicemail, and last-number call back.
The Assembly bought much-needed computers for the Hop and the gym so that students can now check their BlitzMail. And, for the first time in years, the Assembly actually published a useful and timely newsletter notifying students of campus events and recent Assembly news.
On the negative side, however, the Assembly was hampered by political infighting. Due to the squabbling, too much time was spent on trying to improve relations within the Assembly instead of improving student life at the College.
Next Tuesday, students will once again go to the polls to elect new Student Assembly leadership. With the campaign beginning tomorrow, I thought I would give my early line on the field for Assembly President. Keep in mind, though, that Assembly elections are about as unpredictable as the commodities markets, (unless your name is Hillary Clinton), so anything can happen.
Kenji Sugahara (1:1) - Sugahara has to be considered the clear front-runner in the race. Due to Weekend Update, his name recognition far surpasses any other candidate's in the field.
Sugahara was a member of Reform SA! and is now co-chair of the Assembly Administrative Affairs Committee. An extraordinarily nice guy, he should have a lot of friends who will turn out to vote for him.
If Sugahara has one weakness in this race, it's his unfortunate tendency to take opposing sides on an issue at the same time. In the winter, he confused many by simultaneously supporting and opposing the impeachment of President Nicole Artzer '94.
This notwithstanding, the race is Sugahara's to lose.
Jim Brennan (3:1) - Of the candidates with a realistic chance of winning, Brennan is the only one with a legitimate claim of being an Assembly outsider. For this reason, he is likely to emerge as Sugahara's most formidable competition during the campaign.
While never a member of the Assembly, Brennan has been active in student politics through the '96 Class Council and as leader of the Vote YES! campaign. Like Sugahara, Brennan is also a really nice guy. His primary strength is his ability to work with students all across the political spectrum.
His primary weakness is his lack of Assembly experience and lack of name recognition on campus. While a threat to win, Brennan most likely will run a strong race but come in second.
Danielle Moore (5:1) - As the only woman in the race, Moore must be given a chance of winning. The most liberal candidate in the field by far, she has depledged her sorority and is now anti-Greek. Unfortunately, she may be too liberal for even many liberal voters.
During her tenure on the Assembly, she was the only member to not vote in favor of South Africa reinvestment. Explaining her position to The Dartmouth, she said that she objected to the use of the word "black" in the resolution to refer to black South Africans.
Like Brennan, Moore is not well-known on campus. Unlike Brennan, she is probably too extreme to win the election but it could happen. My guess is that she will produce a respectable third place showing.
Jeremy Katz (20:1) - Is Dartmouth ready to elect a Dartmouth Review staff member as Student Assembly President? I don't think so. As President of SAE, Katz may win some votes in the Greek system but I doubt it will be enough to lift him out of fourth place.
Caleb Scott (25:1) - I know only two things about Scott. First, he is a '97. Second, he turned in a drawing instead of a picture to the Freshman Book. Neither fact leads me to believe he can win this race. Instead, he will be fortunate to avoid finishing last.
So, sit back and enjoy campaign week. Let's just hope the mud stays on the Green and doesn't start flying among the candidates! It's time for a positive campaign.
