Congratulations, students. You’ve dodged a bullet on this one.
Matt Stambaugh is an experienced, dynamic and hard-working candidate worthy of the office, the parking pass and all those cushy lunches. His acclamation, making him next year’s SU President without a fight, is a stroke of luck. If some idiot got acclaimed, there would be much grief spent removing him or her from office. Stambaugh is not some idiot.
Experience
Besides two years as a commissioner, Stambaugh has seen the trenches and the highlights of the SU. Although never a member of the executive, he readily understands the organization from top to bottom, including the points at which the SU interacts with government, administration and, most importantly, students. Moreover, his worldliness and charisma mean that he plays the political game well, as both are necessary assets.
Platform
Stambaugh’s experience also gives him the realism to understand what he can achieve. For example, he understands that government is unlikely to provide the money necessary to allow a tuition freeze, given the tiny surplus budgeted by the Alberta government this year-although that is his goal. At the same time, he knows that provincial and administrative bureaucrats can move much more easily on issues like loan reform, scholarships and bursaries.
Besides his realism, Stambaugh also wants to make the SU more visible and fun by getting his hands dirty dealing directly with students. He wants to do classroom visits, disseminate information via the Internet and drink with Den-goers on a regular basis-although the latter really isn’t a change for him.
Intangibles
With such high expectations, there are few things we fear for next year’s president. Stambaugh may burn himself out at the SU grinding wheel or find himself constrained by a system that moves much slower than he does. In the end, however, his acclamation works in students’ favour. In our estimation, he will fulfill the president’s role quite well-doing it with a little style to boot.
The Magic Eight Ball says:
As I see it, yes.
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