The Eastern Echo editorial board has decided to endorse Jelani McGadney for the position of Student Body President and Jeff Chicoine as Student Body Vice President in the upcoming election at Eastern Michigan University. Of the pool of candidates, we feel McGadney provided the best plans to address students’ concerns.
In addition, his ability to address an audience is unmatched by the other candidates. This talent will serve the student body well, as voicing their concerns to the Board of Regents and lobbying for EMU students at other venues is a primary duty.
Every year, parking remains an issue for many students commuting to campus. McGadney has a proposal that we think will alleviate some of the parking traffic on campus and give students more access to the community. He is proposing to work with the university and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to provide EMU students a student bus pass, like the ones University of Michigan and Washtenaw Community College students already have.
This plan could help parking by allowing commuters who live along an AATA route to take the bus instead of driving to campus. It also encourages students to visit businesses in Ypsilanti and surrounding communities that they wouldn’t normally patronize due to lack of transportion. The City of Ypsilanti has three great sections for students — EMU, the downtown area and Depot Town. A bus pass would allow more students who live on and off campus to visit different parts of the community without having to get in a car to do so.
McGadney’s experience as a resident advisor, where he interacted daily with many students, is a valuable asset to have as the Student Government leader. Serving in that capacity offered him an opportunity to listen to residents’ problems and work to solve them. As student body president, he will get to perform this duty at a campus-wide level.
Other positions McGadney has held on campus include head delegate of the United Nations Student Alliance and president of the Wise Hall leadership and advisory board.
McGadney and Chicoine also have plans to reform academic advising, which they say can be confusing; add printing stations to more academic buildings; and give a give a Senate seat to a representative of the Office of Students with Disabilities.
The other student body presidential candidates also had a good set of ideas to enhance students’ experience on campus. Some of these ideas include a service grant reward that would encourage student organizations receiving student fee money to give back to the community, grade grievance policy reform and 24/7 access to the library.
We hope if elected, McGadney will incorporate some of these ideas into his own goals for the community.
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