This week, the student body will take to the polls to elect next year’s Student Union president. After the conducting of private interviews with both candidates and an extended deliberation among members, the Justice editorial board has elected to endorse David Herbstritt ’17 for Student Union president. Though this was one of the toughest endorsement decisions of this board in recent years, we have determined that Herbstritt is the best candidate for this year’s election due to his greater Union experience and specific platform. Herbstritt has been involved with the Union for the better part of two years, serving as the Class of 2017 Senator, Executive Senator and, most recently, Vice President. Herbstritt can rely on two years’ worth of experience in leading the Union; he served as the Chair of the Senate Club Support Committee during the 2014 to 2015 school year and runs Union meetings as Executive Senator this year, in addition to regular meetings with the Allocations Board.

In his conversation with the editorial board, Herbstritt noted a number of specific policy changes he hopes to implement. First, he noted his desire to expand the bystander intervention training that exists, hoping to make it mandatory for all students. Second, he proposed an increase of the number of solar panels on campus to help make the University more environmentally friendly. Finally, Herbstritt posited that the role of the Union is to advocate for the student body by making sure that the student body is aware of the resources it can provide to students. Herbstritt strives to be a voice for the student body within the administration by being both responsive to students and taking action. 

Herbstritt also comes with nuanced opinions on divisive issues on campus, specifically a proposal to divest future funds from fossil fuels while also recognizing the problems that could arise from such action. He also proposes supporting adjunct faculty unionization and pushing the administration to continue dialogue about the racial climate on campus. 

While we have elected to endorse Herbstritt, the vote among the board was razor-close for most of the deliberations, and we maintain admiration for Christian Nunez ’18. Nunez was a leader in the Ford Hall 2015 movement and continues his leadership across campus, and the board was thoroughly impressed by his promise to speak to each individual club leader about their concerns on campus. However, we are hesitant to endorse a candidate with absolutely no prior Union experience. While Nunez’s ideals about the Union advocating for students are deeply commendable, to most effectively execute on those ideals, one needs a deeper understanding of how the Union functions and how it can effectively be mobilized. We urge Nunez to run for the Student Union Senate in the fall to acquire this critical experience — just as current Student Union president Nyah Macklin ’16 did before him — and consider a presidential run next year. Moreover, we call on Herbstritt to consider Nunez’s promise to proactively seek out each club leader to gather student feedback rather than reactive polling measures. While we approve of the specificities of Herbstritt’s platform, keeping a keen ear to the ground is critical to effective leadership. 

This board supports Herbstritt in his bid to become the next Union President, a candidate with a wealth of Student Union experience and specific ideas on how to help the student body. No matter which candidate students vote for, we urge them to vote; too often, this board must chide students for their poor electoral turnout.

— Justice editor Noah Hessdorf ’18 is suitemates with Nunez and recused himself from the editorial.