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If the Oracle were to endorse a team, we would endorse the Elliot and Elfman ticket, if only because they were shafted by the student government they are trying to serve. But really why vote at all?

First, take at a look at each team’s campaign slogans. “Our slogan is awesome” splashes Colin Shulte and Paul Sawyer’s campaign flyers. Sure, it’s kind of funny and it doesn’t really take itself all that seriously, which, frankly, a few HUSC members may want to consider doing.

One of our favorite slogans, “Bringing HUSC back to the students” is completely meaningless. The last time we checked (and we check quite often, being the student newspaper) HUSC is run, maintained, and serves the students of good ol’ HU. So where, Tina VanSteenbergen and Cindy Schuchardt, have the students gone, and how did HUSC get away from them?

Please take a look at each candidate team’s platform. You might have to look a few times to believe what you are seeing.

Shulte and Sawyer are campaigning for a new student center, equipped with a bar. Hamline needs a new student center. It will take a long time to get one, so we applaud Shulte and Sawyer for thinking of future classes.

But a bar? We at the Oracle love to party (responsibly of course). But a bar on campus? Hamline needs a bar about as much as an alcoholic needs another fifth of vodka.

Another candidate team, Dahmon Romness and Brian McShea, are campaigning to make Old Main accessible. This is yet another noble cause, but in the end a waste of time because of Old Main’s age and status as a historical landmark. Of course, we’re not suggesting that accessibility options should not be explored, but is it possible for HUSC to take on a project with such a long timeline?

Overall, HUSC has functioned rather quietly this year, which in our experience means they are doing an all right job. We have heard a few rumblings from all sides saying that financially, HUSC is being far too conservative. It’s hard to say whether that is a good or bad thing. Enrollment wasn’t quite as large as predicted, which means that those missing students’ fees spell budget cuts for both HUSC and the Student Media Board (which approves the Oracle budget) will have to occur. So holding on to money and being adults about how we spend it is a good move on HUSC’s part.

At the same time, HUSC must negotiate its fiscal issues with the fact that it exists to send students to conferences and fund campus events. Clearly life is never black and white, but the overall purpose of HUSC should be on the minds and mouths of those campaigning this year. Rather than chasing votes with talk of booze or promising to bring HUSC back to students who never left it, maybe we should be talking about the purpose of HUSC and changes that the body can actually make to better the student condition at Hamline.

Oh, and we were kidding about not voting. We’re just mad that this year’s race is such a joke. We needed to get your attention; we know that the opinion pages are a lot like HUSC general assemblies. Both are meant to allow students to have their voices heard. But here at Hamline people hardly ever utilize them, instead they complain amongst themselves and trudge across campus with angry faces.

Lighten up Hamline, speak up and help put this debacle to an end. Maybe that’ll bring the students back to HUSC.