Editor’s Note: The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board interviewed two candidates for Student Council President, two candidates for Vice President for Organizations and two candidates for Vice President for Administration. Each interview lasted approximately 15 minutes, and all candidates were asked the same baseline questions. The endorsements below are based solely on the content of these interviews and the Student Council debate held by The Cavalier Daily and the University Board of Elections.
This year, the Editorial Board endorses third-year College student Clay Dickerson for Student Council President, third-year College student J. De Andrade Lima for Vice President for Organizations and fourth-year College student Princess Wuraola Olubuse-Omisore for Vice President for Administration. Throughout their tenures on the Student Council, these candidates have shown a sincere commitment to external accountability and an ability to critically analyze internal inefficiencies. Each of these candidates clearly articulated concerns about the existing internal use of funds and proposed tangible policies through which to remedy such inefficiencies and improve the longevity of Student Council funding sources. Perhaps most impressively, their approach to leadership is not just about maintaining tradition — it is about restructuring Student Council’s approach to student self-governance by focusing internally before innovating externally. We believe Dickerson, Lima and Olubuse-Omisore have the vision and initiative to internally transform Student Council and promote organizational sustainability.
Dickerson has served on Student Council for three years, mostly recently as Chief of the Support and Access Services where he championed financial accessibility for low-income students and worked to impact the daily lives of students. While the Editorial Board was impressed with the tangible nature of many of his policies, what truly stood out was his vision for monthly internal audits within Student Council. These audits would enable Student Council to track their funding utilization rates more effectively, enabling them to make informed decisions about projects and allocations. What is most impressive about this sort of internal reform is the way in which it aims to solidify Student Council’s efficiency and its legitimacy. Beyond internal reforms, he seeks to expand the Student Council’s role as a bargaining force by making a case for an elected student representative on the Board of Visitors — an institutional shift that would bring student voice to key decision making processes. With a focus on fiscal responsibility and institutional advocacy, Dickerson aims to protect the long-term sustainability of Student Council and student self-governance more broadly.
Lima is a third-year student who currently serves as chief financial officer of the Student Council. In this role, he showcases a holistic understanding of Student Council’s finances — expertise which is crucial as the Student Council currently faces long-term funding concerns. Through his work with mutual aid, Lima led efforts to strategically strengthen the services’ inventory and increase utilization rates among the student community. His knowledge of the Student Council’s finances have produced a candid perspective on the difficult choices that may be necessary to sustain funding, including an increase of the Student Activities Fee and the re-prioritization of CIOs. Importantly, Lima acknowledges that future financial independence is critical to its ability to advocate on behalf of students. His forward-thinking approach to the intersection between agency and CIO funding is exactly what the Student Council needs to strengthen its operations and safeguard its autonomy. As the Student Council approaches a new term, Lima’s leadership will promise financial stability both in the short and long term.
Olubuse-Omisore has served as a representative on the Student Council for multiple years. No other candidate has this level of experience, much less as a direct representative for the student body. Olubuse-Omisore’s extensive experience has enabled her to candidly critique what she views as inefficiencies that hinder the Student Council’s operations. Olubuse-Omisore would develop a “Use It or Redirect It” policy which builds upon Dickerson’s internal audits in order to reallocate unused or under-used funding and resources. More than just identifying problems, she has critically examined systemic failures — such as those in the Student Council’s Endowment Committee — and has prioritized internal accountability in her platform. She envisions these changes fostering a culture of greater engagement with the community and strengthening the role of the Student Council as a force for advocacy. Olubuse-Omisore’s understanding of the inner workings of the representative nature of the body, combined with her willingness to act, positions her as a candidate uniquely equipped to drive meaningful change and set Student Council up for long-lasting success.
In selecting these three candidates, the Editorial Board hopes that their mutual focus on internal accountability and financial efficiency will promote long-term sustainability in the Student Council. Dickerson’s focus on auditing, Lima’s initiatives for developing the endowment and Olubuse-Omisore’s plans for reallocation all contribute to a team sincerely dedicated to the internal improvement of Student Council’s finances. Moreover, each of these candidates recognize that fiscal instabilities are a threat to the Student Council’s ability to externally provide for students and bargain with administration. Their ability to see internal efficiency and financial stability as a precursor to institutional sustainability is admirable. Moreover, it is exactly what is needed in this hyper-politicized moment when student self-governance is increasingly under threat.
This election presents a rare and crucial opportunity for meaningful change within Student Council. With growing concern over the Board of Visitors’ incursions, reportedly low utilization rates across Student Council and significant budget cuts, the need for internal reform has never been more pressing. These candidates bring a depth of experience with a clear vision for Student Council’s future — one that sees a departure from previous student administrations in its focus on internal reform, rather than external and idealistic hopes. The Editorial Board is confident that Dickerson, Lima and Olubuse-Omisore will play off each others’ strengths to bring back focus on effective internal reform and redefine how the Student Council connects with students.
The Cavalier Daily Editorial Board is composed of the Executive Editor, the Editor-in-Chief, the two Opinion Editors, the two Senior Associates and an Opinion Columnist. The board can be reached at eb@cavalierdaily.com.
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