SGA ‘joke’ parties are more serious than ‘legitimate’ parties
I am disappointed with The Diamondback’s March 31 article, “Another joke candidate joins race for SGA,” because of its reference to Brett “Cosmo” Weiss as a joke candidate. In reality, he and Andrew LoPresto (the candidate with the slightly amusing party name) are the only ones who realize the SGA itself is the joke.
Does the Student Government Association actually do anything? Oh, that’s right, we have Fair Trade coffee now in the dining halls. Big deal. The SGA itself does nothing. It’s a farce so kids on the campus can pad their resumes and pretend to be mini-politicians. To Jahantab Siddiqui, the candidate who wants College Park to be “Terptown, USA”: don’t quit your day job as the University Commuters Association president because that’s the dumbest idea I have ever heard.
And for the record, every time I see the Block Party on the campus, I think of my former roommate Ben Block and his ambitious schemes to bring Sting to the campus and protest NASCAR for consuming too much fuel. The Block Party would be better off making Ben their presidential candidate and using his platform instead of some SGA fat cats who make the same empty promises every year.
So go ahead, call Cosmo a joke candidate, but the joke is on everyone who thinks the SGA matters and that these candidates actually give a damn about what happens to the student body on this campus. Cosmo understands this and promises a Dave Matthews/Usher concert as well as the construction of a Larry David statue. Vote for him and you won’t have to worry about another Aaron Kraus as SGA president.
Greg Eichelman
Senior
History
Candidate’s record bodes well for SGA leadership ability
After looking to Jahantab Siddiqui’s record and accomplishments, I think I’ve finally found someone I’m excited to see in office. It seems he’s really made the most of his time on the campus. From testifying before the Maryland General Assembly and the U.S. Secretary of Education to improving parking and Shuttle-UM policies for commuter students, it seems Siddiqui has done it all. If a good SGA president is evaluated on how well he’s worked on behalf of students, then Siddiqui appears to possess the skills necessary to get things done.
I didn’t realize how hard he’s worked for students as University Commuters Association president and SGA legislator until reading past Diamondback articles about the changes he’s brought to the campus, big and small. When you look into Siddiqui’s record, as I have, it looks like this is the kind of leadership the SGA has lacked.
I am writing this because I think this kind of thing should be brought to the attention of all students. I know Siddiqui will give us the change we’ve needed as a collegiate community.
Julia Winters
Senior
Government and politics
