Previous accomplishments good foundation for future
Last year, Chase Mizzell impressed us. As the sole vice presidential candidate, he offered clear, concrete ideas, and we speculated it wouldn’t be the last time he came to our offices seeking an endorsement. This year we wholeheartedly throw our support behind Mizzell as student body president. Of the three candidates, he’s the most qualified, he connects with others well and offers the best chance of taking Student Government to a new level.
While Mizzell is an insider, he knows firsthand the responsibilities of what it takes to be not only a part of Student Government, among numerous other student organizations, but what it takes to be an executive member as well. He knows the time commitments, the “political” games and has relationships with both campus and city administrators to get things done. It’s a bonus that his policies align with those of current Student Body President Kenny Tracy.
This isn’t to say students should see Mizzell’s presidency as a continuation of this year’s Tracy administration. Mizzell shines in both charisma and personality by comparison, and such traits are needed in rebranding SG into an organization students actually care about. He offered clear initiatives that matter to students. Under his administration, priority will be given to safety, connecting SG to students, recycling, fostering leadership among underclassmen and giving back to the community.
As an unusual plus, Mizzell openly admits he sometimes skirts his other responsibilities, such as paying attention in class, but he does so to fulfill his duties as vice president. He is a man who is deeply passionate about SG, and we aren’t concerned about his ability to live up to the role as student body president.
In our meeting with Josh “Otter” Moore and review of his campaign thus far, Moore came off as energetic but naive. He ran a student-driven campaign and offered simple, but good, ideas to lead students and USC to a brighter future. Yet he lacks the knowledge of “office politics” and the finesse to effectively bargain and negotiate with the many university administrators and city leaders that this position requires.
Although he has experience with being a leader on campus in student organizations — he served as co-president and secretary of Carolina Surf Club and Cross Country Club, respectively — Moore wasn’t able to clearly articulate how those positions made him the best candidate for the job, and that concerned us.
The other candidate, Kenneth Bragg, also expressed worthwhile ideas that would ultimately benefit USC, but they lacked any real research or depth needed in a presidential campaign. He brought no new, innovative ideas or initiatives to the table and, instead, resorted to common rhetoric regarding safety and recycling on campus.
Although safety is a hot-button topic this year, we think it’s odd that the only other backbone of Bragg’s campaign deals with such a relatively minor issue. He awkwardly expressed his ideas, which include reaching out to the city of Columbia and a need for SG to connect to students. However, when stating that SG needs more funds and student involvement without clearly defining how, we were often left wondering why he was even running in the first place.
During our meetings with the other candidates, we simply didn’t see that same enthusiasm for SG or positive change that we saw in Mizzell. All of the candidates expressed a desire to change USC for the better, but neither Moore nor Bragg could offer the same type of knowledge, commitment or passion for the role. We do hope, however, they continue to express an interest in government and bettering our university as a whole.
In one of his opening statements, Mizzell wisely noted that Student Government often fails to live up to its namesake and has not governed as effectively as it should. The fact that he knows and pointed that out, even as a current executive officer, makes us sure that under a Mizzell administration, we’ll see the change in SG it so desperately needs. He’s the right choice.