The primary role of the student body vice president is to lead the senate in discussion, oversees parliamentary procedure and generally ensures Student Government's legislative body stays on the right track. And this year, the race for student body vice president is a rather heated one.
With this in mind, The Daily Gamecock has chosen to endorse second-year English student Lee Goble.
Goble has a clear vision for his term and has outlined several substantial and attainable goals, such as improving student surveys for better representation and forging a stronger relationship between the executive and legislative branches.
We are convinced of his commitment to serving the student body, and he has proven himself with a successful tenure as Chair of the Student Services Committee in the Student Senate, which is the body the vice president presides over.
Second-year finance student Brian Samples is also running for student body vice president and serves in the senate, though not in a leadership role. He has been dismissive of several current senators and the structure of the institution, including in his endorsement interview with The Daily Gamecock.
Samples, while presenting several valid issues with SG during his campaign, seems to have limited ideas about how to solve those problems. His campaign has had a negative tone overall, from harshly criticizing SG to playing on residence hall rivalries in an attempt to drum up votes. In contrast, Goble has run a positive campaign, saying he enjoys the process and emphasizing his sincere commitment to helping students.
In a race that's been focused on the role and effectiveness of the senate itself, the candidates have taken different approaches. Samples has focused on the body’s shortcomings but offered few solutions, whereas Goble has drawn on his experience to suggest improvements while respecting the current process.
We think this offers a window into what their leadership styles would be as student body vice president. We believe Goble is the best candidate based on his campaign, his ideas and his attitude.