Evan Ecos came strolling up to me shortly after the announcement of the winners of the 2010 Student Senate election. Honestly, the only thing I could think at the time was, “Look at this one coming to suck up for a commissionership.”
What happened next definitely gave me a gut check. Evan reached out his hand and simply said, “Anything I can do for you next year, I’ll take. I just want to help out.” With that, he turned around and left. Leaving me with a slight sickening feeling that, one, I was dead wrong about his attitude, and two, I’m probably going to like this kid.
I came to know Zach George and Amrit Saini as they had ran as candidates on the SOUND ticket.
Evan eventually was let into senate as a presidential assistant of sorts, eventually moving up the ranks to the Student Activities Commission. Regardless of their positions, though, I knew these three stood out.
Zach, Amrit and Evan grew to be amazingly close and loyal friends not only with each other but also with myself. It would have been easy for any one of them to take my position as a joke and just try to sneak by, though they never once let their duties to senate fall by the wayside.
I want to make it very clear that Student Senate is a building block of an organization. With each year, it takes continuity to make the organization stronger and better for the students.
Coming in with unfamiliarity is, without a doubt, a detriment, one that takes several weeks of acclimation to overcome. With that said, these three, in my eyes, are ready. Not just ready to put this as a line on their resumé for grad school or a career, not just ready to become complacent with doing the bare minimum, and not just ready to let senate go without adding another building block to help the next year.
These three are ready to lead.
Zach is one of the most intelligent men that I know, with the ability to garner support and trust quicker and stronger than anyone. Amrit is not only an intellectual but also an individual who is innovative, creative and willing to put the work in when he knows a team is counting on him. Last, Evan is steadfast in his work ethic, willing to learn and commit to a task when asked to do so and when he knows that the betterment of what he is working toward is at stake.
With these characteristics, there is not one doubt in my mind that the executives of REACH have picked a team that will lead Student Senate with grace and strength next year, fighting to keep the opinions of Ohio University students at the utmost importance with the administration and surrounding community.
I have seen it done with Zach, Amrit and Evan before, and I assure you that their passion for this organization alone will not disappoint you.
Matthew Beddingfield is a 2011 Ohio University alumnus and former vice president of Student Senate for 2010–11
