A proactive platform may be just what the student body of Washington State University needs. 

The Daily Evergreen editorial board sat down with the candidates running in this year’s ASWSU executive elections. After deliberation, the Evergreen is proud to endorse Jared Powell and LaKecia Farmer for ASWSU president and vice president. 

Powell and Farmer are not only extremely qualified, but have a working knowledge of what the Cougs want and need. Their campaign platform is straightforward and concise with concrete plans in place to accomplish their ideas.

With his background as the current director of finance for ASWSU, Powell has a solid comprehension of how goals need to be budgeted and prioritized. Farmer’s experience stems from her position as ASWSU senate pro-tempore, and as such she holds a strong understanding of how a vice president can effectively work with senate. This combination of expertise makes Powell and Farmer uniquely suited to lead our student body. 

Their campaign platform is made up of four pillars: pride, experience, diversity and dedication.

The pride pillar encompasses everything related to school spirit. Powell said he wants to implement programs that will excite the average student. From hosting a welcome back carnival on Colorado Street to celebrate the centennial of ASWSU to inviting distinguished guest speakers, Powell and Farmer are focused on making sure students embody crimson and gray with dignity.

The second pillar, experience, includes goals that will help students grow both academically and socially. 

Powell and Farmer plan to implement student dollar transparency, which will involve sending out a monthly press release breaking down where each part of a student’s tuition is going. 

Housing impacts all students at WSU, and if Farmer and Powell are elected, they plan to start the ASWSU Stamp of Approval, a housing inspection process that would give landlords and housing management incentives to ensure that students aren’t taken advantage of with low quality housing.

Diversity is their third pillar. Not only do Powell and Farmer plan to update every building on campus in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, they also intend to make WSU more inclusive and welcoming for the transsexual community in regards to housing, admissions and student health.

The final pillar is dedication, which focuses on civic engagement and quality education. Powell and Farmer plan to work with legislators to ensure there are no increases in tuition. 

Powell and Farmer have a practical understanding of how to get things done in student government that surpasses that of their competitors.

The competing ticket, Marissa Hice for president and Shawn Santomassimo for vice president, have no shortage of passion. Their platform is founded on diversity and promoting student feedback. 

Hice and Santomassimo discussed improving their social media presence and using it to promote committee events for all students. They also look to launch a mentorship program to help guide first-year students through their transition into college and work with Pullman Transit to improve public transportation around campus.

While these ideas are ambitious and would improve student life, their concrete plans and ASWSU experience are outmatched by Powell and Farmer. The latter ticket has a refined understanding of what they can feasibly accomplish in a year, the technical know-how to get it done, and the vision to leave a legacy extending past their term in office.

As Farmer said, “It’s not just what we want to do for the year, it’s what we want to do for the university.”

We at The Daily Evergreen firmly believe Jared Powell and LaKecia Farmer have what it takes to fix what needs to be fixed, keep the momentum on positive movements going, and spark new ideas that improve the Cougar community far into the future.