OUR VIEW: Don’t let us down, new exec council

This year 950 more people voted in the primaries than last year. There were 235 more votes in the finals, and the 59 candiates on the ballot shows the most participation since 1979 in ASUSU elections.

The students have spoken; President-elect Les Essig and the 12 vice presidents are the answer.

Essig has earned the trust of an overwhelming majority who voted for him.

To steal a line: “With great power comes great responsibility.” The only way for Essig to earn people’s trust is to convince them that he is looking out for their best interests and to keep the promises he has made.

As president of the student body of Utah State University, Essig will serve as a member of the Board of Trustees. In this capacity, we hope he remembers his duty to be a representative, a voice for the students who cannot be present. He should earn the trust and respect of the other members of the board, but never let them forget who he represents and who they should also represent.

The votes Essig received should remind him of the platform and promises that got him into office. To name two: He promised to make the Taggart Student Center truly a center of activity for the students. Every student should look forward to a day of snoozing and studying on LoveSacs in the International Lounge. Essig also said he hoped to improve the legal services available to students. He is correct that this is a valuable, untapped resource and students ought to take advantage of what is available to them.

Essig should let the votes he didn’t get remind him of the promise he made after the election to have an “open door” policy. He can’t just be accessible to talk, but also to listen. A candidate’s best chance for success will come from working with students to achieve the goals that will make Utah State University great.