Kyle Taylor, President
From the moment at orientation when he invited incoming freshmen to become his Facebook friends, SG President Kyle Taylor has been an accessible, competent leader.
Taylor was faced with the unforeseen challenge of the Ben Ladner embezzlement charges and subsequent resignation. As the face of the AU student body, it was Taylor's job to represent us to the outside. Successfully dealing with national news media and speaking before Congress are no small feats for any college student.
Despite losing the chance to implement many of his campaign promises because of the Ladner scandal, he did achieve concrete results - plans are being formulated for student representation on the board of trustees and the Eagle's Nest and Health Center are exploring the option of extended hours.
Most importantly, Taylor was a role model for every student on campus. In addition to his exceptional leadership of the SG, Taylor earned excellent grades in the Honors Program, culminating in a nomination for a Rhodes Scholarship.
Incoming President Ashley Mushnick should follow Taylor's lead and continue the push for student representation on the board of trustees and more transparency in the university overall. We suggest she keep her plans realistic, however, and be sure to focus on campus issues as well as the bigger board of trustees issue.
Leah Kreimer, Vice President
Unbeknownst to the average AU student, SG Vice President Leah Kreimer deserves credit for the success of Founder's Week and the Founder's Day Ball, Spring Fling, Eagle Nights and General Artemis Ward Week.
Kreimer was always accessible to those who needed her assistance and always seemed to know what was going on with class councils and other organizations. It helped that she seemed to live in the SG offices at night, allowing those in need of her assistance to find her at the same place after business hours.
Despite her accessibility to those within the SG, Kreimer was for the most part unknown to the average student. This not only prevented students from giving her the praise she was due for the success of various events, but also shielded her from any criticism that may have come her way.
Incoming Vice President Pat McGill should be more visible to the student body than Kreimer was. Students should have more access to and knowledge of the person who spends so much of their tuition on such memorable, important events.
Joe Vidulich, Secretary
As secretary, Joe Vidulich's primary responsibility was communication. For the most part he handled it well, e-mailing the student body and, with President Kyle Taylor, handling calls from national news media in relation to the Ladner embezzlement scandal.
Although Taylor gets most of the credit, it was Vidulich's idea to expand hours at the Eagle's Nest and Health Center.
For many students, Vidulich was the face of the SG. His gregarious personality and presence at every men's home basketball game endeared him to the student body.
Like any mere mortal, however, Vidulich fell down on the job at times. The SG Web site was not updated as often as necessary and some felt that his campaign to be next year's SG president distracted him from his duties as secretary.
Incoming Secretary Carrie Johnson should continue Vidulich's communication, but should expand it by reaching out more to student media. Although The Washington Post needs the scoop, so do the people who are affected most by administrative action: AU students.
Comptroller Zach Ulrich
Comptroller who? While this year's comptroller may have been a faceless name for many students, he was similarly absent from many SG functions as well. He attended Senate meetings only as related to budget issues and his office hours were held at random hours at best, making him hardly accessible to other members of the student body. If transparency in fiduciary processes weren't so vital to SG credibility, this would be less of a problem. However, students are entitled to know how the money they pay is being spent, not to mention the fact it's an important component of solid business practices - at least that's what we've been telling the board of trustees all year long.
Ulrich's preparation of next year's budget was poorly orchestrated, according to some student leaders who were never informed of their budget meetings, but ultimately some judicious choices were made, as he increased funding to some organizations who have made grown significantly over the past several years. For example, the Women's Initiative was given almost 200 percent more money for the coming year, and the director's position will now be a paid one.
Robert Donigian has not set the best of examples for a position that depends on its transparency, as he was hardly visible during the campaign process. He has a solid reputation of being a contributing member of the campus community, so we hope to see that during his term as comptroller, as well.
