Meter

Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: Forum

Media Credit: Marshall A. Latimore - The Meter Jennifer Williams

Media Credit: Photo provided by Danny Glover Danny Glover

Media Credit: Marshall A. Latimore - The Meter James Bland III

Media Credit: Marshall A. Latimore – The Meter Dezirae Spain

See The Meter's Candidate Interviews by visiting www.facebook.com/video/?oid=62666179626


As Student Election Commission Week 2009 comes to a close, The Meter now wishes to release the names of candidates we endorse for the 2009-2010 academic school year.

Based on these interviews, The Meter as a whole has chose to endorse Jennifer C. Williams as president, Danny D. Glover for vice president, James H. Bland III for Mr. TSU and Dezirae Spain for Miss TSU.

These decisions were collectively decided on based on the interviews solely. Each candidate was critiqued on the pros and cons of their individual interviews.

The candidates were each sheduled a specific time to arrive at their interview and a series of questions followed. Most questions were general but some tailored to individual positions, past experiences and current associations.

It is important to note that although The Meter endorsed only four candidates, as a whole we were pleased with the overall outcome of the interviews.

For SGA presidency, we chose Williams because of her sincerity. Williams named several organizations she was involved in but vowed to not only have time for SGA, but to make time to serve each one judiciously.

Such dedication and adherence to time management are qualities that will prove beneficial in a SGA president, who will have to serve in TSU President Melvin N. Johnson's cabinet and also attend a variety of events in and out of the city all while maintaining their duties as a student first.

Williams also spoke of wanting to see that "old TSU spirit" revived.Her campaign platform of being a super woman by "saving TSU by promoting excellence" proved to outshine her opponent Justin J. Crawford.

Crawford said he plans to become the "glue" for the university, wanting to unite all organizations and bring about TSU unity; however, his interview did not glue us to him.

Crawford mentioned working with freshmen males in Watson, and being accountable which is commendable.

He also higlighted the importance for developing networking skills for students, making a charismatic pitch for students to see the networks they create directly affect their long term net worths.

Although Crawford shared many good points, Williams' ability to think quickly, geniune compassion and thorough knowledge of the position won her our endorsement.

Williams' year of shadowing current SGA President Patrick Walker-Reese and SGA Vice President Ashley D. Floyd as their Chief of Staff also indicated to us that Williams is very knowledgeable of the demands such a position will hold.

Furthermore, Crawford's claim to have served as chairman of the SGA's Constitution committee was refuted by Floyd, who explained that she and other current officials had worked directly with the consitution and a proposed set of changes that would restructure SGA in the fall.

Floyd said in a comment to Crawford's interview video, "(Crawford), you know that you did not chair the constitution and that it was in fact myself, (Walker-Reese), (Glover), Warren Burke, (Williams), and Blake Nathan that worked on the structuring proposals.

"There is not even a Constitution Committee," Floyd continued. "I take personal (offense to that) since I specifically worked for two months on it."

Crawford did provide a rebuttal to Floyd's claims; however, he not only agreed with Floyd but also did not refute her claim that he could have possibly embellished the work he did not do with the consititution.

Instead, he argued that his role as a voting member had more than exceeded his responsibilities as a SGA representative. These are all details the student body should take into consideration when selecting the next president.

Danny D. Glover is running unopposed for SGA Vice President and it is understandable why. His love for TSU is radiant and evident.

In the interview, Glover impressed us with his ability to state what he wanted for the future and how he planned to come about those changes.

It was clear that Glover had worked closely with the proposed restructuring of SGA and is capable of helping to guide those changes with a capable president at the helm.

There is not much to say about Glover, as his strong interview spoke for itself. We feel he is more than ready to work for the students here at TSU.

For Mr. TSU we chose to endorse James H. Bland III because of his versatility. He also came off as a man of distinction that would work for the common man.

Bland represents students that may not have been in the spotlight during their previous college years, but is ready to shine.

His articulation and on-the-spot thinking impressed us and moreover won him over with the group. Also, the fact that Bland was not the most well know on campus but still outshined others proves he is ready for the challenge.

His counterparts Jonathan Miller and Kwesi Gordon also had great answers to some difficult questions.

Miller admitted to using the past year to work on himself and prepare for his second quest for the crown. Both Miller and Gordon said they wanted current Mr. TSU, James Alderman to be more visible and vowed to do that if they were elected.

Most memorable about Gordon's interview was his inability to sing or state the Alma Mater.

Some feel as if asking this question was too much. We do not fault Gordon for simply not knowing the Alma Mater, but not knowing it when he is running for such an esteemed position such as Mr. TSU was unacceptable.

Students, how would you feel if President Obama did not know the Star Spangled Banner?

This question was asked to all candidates and was neither unfair nor misleading.

On a lighter note, Gordon did say he wanted to work closely with students in Watson Hall.

The Meter endorsed Dezirae M. Spain as being our next Miss TSU. Her natural presence is that of a queen and we feel as though she will do well in the position as well as in national competitions if selected by the student body.

Although Spain was our ultimate pick, the other two candidates should not be taken lightly. Keosha J. Cole and Melanie D. Hughes also possess the necessary qualities of holding the position of Miss TSU.

Cole was a down-to-earth, easy-going young lady who was not afraid to laugh in her interview and show us that she is human. Her only downfall in the interview was her articulation.

But Cole possessed a radiant passion for TSU that is touching and infections. Her slogan, "I Love You," is befitting of the type of reign she would have as Miss TSU.

Hughes' impressive platform "Our LEGACY" was well received by the staff, but at times she fell short of answering the proposed questions and seemed a bit inexperienced.

In fact, if Cole and Spain were combined into one person, she would be the perfect candidate for Miss TSU. The resulting lady would exude excellence, look and speak like a queen, but also be humble enough to sit down and eat fried chicken with the common folk.

We encourage the student body to use these endorsements as one of several components on selecting which candidates to vote for.

We hope that the debates, forums and varied events scheduled during SEC week along with this article helped to form an educated opinion on which candidate they feel will best represent the university and themselves.•

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