The temperatures are warming, the final papers and projects are piling up, and the air reeks of politics. The New York primary has dominated news coverage, but I’m actually not talking about the politics constantly streaming on CNN. Right here at Colgate University, students like myself are running for positions on their class councils. Personally, I’m running for President of the Class of 2019.
Fresh off the whole school election and in the middle of the election going on for President of the United States, the elections for class council are all the more emphasized. Additionally, a lot of the philosophies adopted by the candidates have trickled down into our class council elections, to answer questions such as how should I run my campaign?
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I suppose it’s easy to look at the examples we’ve been provided and run extravagant campaigns, but I’m not doing that. When campaigning for whole school or for POTUS, you need name recognition among people you don’t know, or you don’t have a chance of winning. This was a common explanation for why Trump led in so many early polls. Yet, I see running for class president as much more intimate. Most people know me or have heard my name. Recognizing that some people have not, I merely hope that my name spreads through the grapevine, because to plaster my name and face all over campus is not something I’m going to do. I don’t want this election to be about me, because my presidency would not be about me. I’m fearful that when people go to vote, I won’t have campaigned enough, as I am bombarded by stories of POTUS candidates in the daily newspaper, but on principle, I’m going to keep my campaign low-key.
Then there’s the question of experience. Naturally, people should only elect a candidate that they trust to work hard and get things done, and experience is usually what candidates point to to prove their worth. When running for POTUS, trying to accomplish big, controversial things in a gridlocked congress fraught with red tape, knowing how to work within the system can be seen as a huge positive. I must remind myself that in running for class President, my powers are limited and the position simple to learn, and I have complete faith that my lack of experience won’t hinder me in the slightest.
When I say experience, I’m referring in part to experience being a politician. Donald Trump claims he’s not a politician, and in doing so he has struck a chord in the hearts and minds of many voters. Considering I’ve not run for an SGA position before, I guess I’m no politician either. This whole line of thinking is kind of nonsensical because the definition of a politician includes those people running for office, and after campaigning for so many months, Trump seems as much like a politician as the rest of them. However, I’d like to remain as little like a politician as possible. I found myself thinking about coalitions within the Class of 2019 the other night, and terrified myself that I was beginning to scheme. I’m not going to scheme. I’m going to put myself out there and see if enough people have faith in me by their own volition, not by my persuasion.
Am I running a campaign like the ones we’ve been witness to? No. Is it intentional? Very. I take the role of Class President very seriously, but not so seriously that I see beyond what is realistic.
If you’re vibing, Vote Denise: De-nicest thing you can do for the Class of 2019!
