Student Senate’s top executives have endorsed the RSVP party for the May 18-19 elections, citing a more realistic platform as the rationale for the recommendation.
President Jesse Neader, Vice President Matthew Beddingfield and Treasurer Patty Roberts expressed their unanimous support for the ticket, which is headed by Student Trustee Kyle Triplett.
Neader’s endorsement breaks precedent set by the previous senate president.
Last year, then-President Robert Leary did not endorse either party and wore a makeshift shirt that represented both parties to the polls.
“I didn’t endorse anyone chiefly because I was the chair of the appeals for the Board of Elections,” Leary said, adding that he did consider whether to endorse someone.
Leary’s predecessor, Michael Adeyanju, took the opposite approach when in office. He campaigned for iOU, Leary’s party, during elections.
“In all honesty, I just didn’t think about it,” he said, adding that this year’s executives are right for endorsing the ticket they feel is best. “I think they deserve the right to endorse who they want … I applaud Jesse, Patty and Matt for doing that.”
FACE presidential candidate Matthew Wallace said he was not surprised by the endorsement.
“RSVP are their protégés; they are all people who have been groomed by the current senate executives,” he said. “I didn’t expect my reform-oriented party to be endorsed by a status quo-oriented group of executives.”
Triplett denied that the endorsement shows his party is the “insider” ticket.
“A third of our ticket has never been involved in senate before,” he said.
RSVP’s platform is more realistic than FACE’s, Roberts said.
“I feel that RSVP is worth endorsing because they have a more real idea of what they can achieve with their positions, and they were not misleading with their platform,” she said, adding that she thought FACE’s claim of saving $12,000 misled students to think they would each save that amount.
Beddingfield said, however, he worries about the future of Student Senate.
“The endorsement is more weighed by my doubts in one party than my confidence in the other,” he said. “But, I do have confidence in RSVP.”
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