O&B Makes A Splash
Looks like the Alligator dismissed my subtle editorial (posted below as “A Defining Choice”) – wasn’t controversial enough for them, despite the nugget about how every Student Body President in modern history (including the Access Party’s Jamal Sowell) has been a member of FBK.
Anyway, slating is over, but the lists aren’t online yet, so I can’t tell just how bad the three-way split is going to be on the Senate side of things.
What I do know is that O&B’s exec ticket was given only passing mention. What happened to the time when the Alligator’s SG reporter was capable of writing more than one article per day and more than 2-3 a week? What I did find out is the O&B has a male Spring Senator running for President, Mark McShera, a female Fall Senator running for VP, Stacey Gray, and both hail from the original independent O&B family.
Brandon White, on the other hand, is not just a Gator Party Senator, and an African-American, but he is the current Budget Committee Chair in the Senate – usually the stepping stone for Treasurer candidates on the Gator/Unite party side.
I guess this is what Unite meant by a new direction? Snubbing their usual career paths and allowing more defectors to leave their camp for the two opposition parties?
I have no idea who White is beyond what I just mentioned. Don’t know his influence, or if he’s part of a Greek house. But O&B has snagged one of the few people on campus who can claim to have worked on SG’s multi-million-dollar budget first hand, and knows what it takes to pass a budget through SG Finance’s staff.
O&B has a serious resume for their Treasurer candidate, as compared to the accounting senator Progress has and the CLASSC treasurer Unite has. Not saying I’d endorse him over the others – as, again, I don’t know him or the others. But it is impressive. Budget Chairs don’t walk away from FBK and the establishment that easily, not for a party that is hardly a sure thing, unless they can bring houses with them (especially since they usually strike a deal where they wait until the following year to run if they don’t get the nod that year).
So what do you guys think?
What I know about them.
Unite:
Jordan Johnson: SigEp, Senate President, previous Budget committee chair.
Larnell Vickers: VP of BSU
Maryam Laguna: Gamma Eta, Director of Hispanic Heritage Month, past Cabinet Chair
Orange and Blue:
Mark McShera: Current LS Senator, College Dems president, R&A At Large
Stacey Gray: Current D Senator, Recurso President, Budget Committee
Brandon White: Current Senator, Budget Committee Chair, Alpha Phi Alpha
Progress:
Ben Dictor: Current LS Senator
Grasshopper Illangkoon: Current Grad Senator, Allocations Committee Chair
Jose Ortega: Current Accounting Senator, involved in HSA and suborgs.
The white greeks are going to be solidly behind Unite (their slate is upwards of 80% greek). BSU will be split between Unite and O&B, HSA will be split between all three.
I just think it’s funny that he’s running with his third choice party, and they’re fawning over him like he’s Barack Obama. He’s not even that good of a Budget Chair.
Brandon didn’t walk away from FBK… he wanted the position with Unite and was snubbed.
Larnell: Cabinet Director, Preview Staff, RA
Maryam: MGC President, Preview Staff, RA, Lambda Theta Alpha, HHM Treasurer
In terms of the other parties, their candidates are your typical senators with not much experience outside of the chambers.
Don’t think HSA will be split between all 3 parties.
Jordan Johnson: ATO, not SigEp
Brandon White: Shopped around to whoever would take him, O&B being his last choice
Ben Dictor: Allocations Committee, VP Pi Sigma Alpha
JJ is not an ATO. You need to pull your head out of your ass.