After much deliberation, the Tribune endorses Shyam Patel. Patel is currently the VP Finance and Operations at SSMU and we believe that his institutional knowledge, feasible platform, and diplomacy will serve the society well if he is elected.
Patel has worked behind the scenes at SSMU for the past two years. The executive turns over every year, often leading to confusion and abandoned projects. Patel’s knowledge of the organization’s red tape and the important issues of the past two years will allow him to be an effective president.
A peek through the Tribune’s archives shows that presidents often preach lofty goals during the campaign period. However, it often takes one semester to get over the learning curve, leaving little time to accomplish these goals. Patel’s platform indicates that he knows which issues will be the most important to SSMU next year and he already knows how he will address them. We are impressed by his prioritization of the Shatner Building’s lease, something that will affect nearly every campus group.
We appreciate Patel’s pragmatic approach to communication and student apathy. The events of the past year have prompted many different types of consultation events, which are often poorly attended. Patel would rather move past the issues of this past year and we applaud his action-oriented attitude.
Patel would come into the position after a tumultuous year between students and the administration. The president must serve a listening and speaking role, and Patel has demonstrated a steady commitment to listening to others both at Council and his office hours. He is nuanced in his opinions and very reasonable. While many students have let their ideologies get the better of them this year when dealing with the administration, Shyam’s analytical approach to this year’s issues, particularly tuition increases, would serve him well as president. We have no doubt that he would be a representative and reasonable voice on Senate. Patel’s breadth of experience will allow him to better assess the needs of the student body.
Both candidates are passionate leaders, but we think that Patel’s institutional knowledge and proven diplomacy make him the best candidate.
