An open vote

Protesting the ban on campaigning for the position of young alumni trustee (YAT) has become almost as much of an annual tradition as the vote itself. This time around, the protest has taken the form of "Princeton Matters," a drive launched by candidate Ira Leeds '06 to collect approximately 100 signatures from members of the senior class.

In the past, the rationales presented for not campaigning varied. They include references to tradition and the uncertainty about the efficacy of campaigning. Former USG vice president Shaun Callaghan '06 recently told the 'Prince,' "if a candidate hasn't done anything to that effect by senior year, on what basis can you place your trust in him or her?"

Ultimately, however, these reasons are unconvincing.

First, while campaigning goes against what past trustee candidates have done, traditions most certainly can, and should, be reexamined as befits a dynamic society.

Second, many argue that students do not know what they are voting for anyway and that a candidate's campaign platform therefore holds little merit. We agree. To be clear, campaigning, in this case, should not mean making promises for a position none of the candidates has had experience in — that would lead only to false and empty sloganizing.

Rather, it is up to students to inform themselves on what qualities they need to look for in candidates. After all, the duties of University trustees are clearly posted on the trustee website: "Candidates should be judged on the basis of their accomplishments and voters should use the information they have to make the best informed decisions possible."

No matter how many desirable qualities a candidate may possess or how much that candidate's efforts have benefited the University, some students simply do not receive as much press as others. This is why Callaghan's comment makes so little sense.

It is equally easy to envision what YAT elections could look like. A working example to draw from is the basic USG model. Students running for USG positions agree to spend no more than a certain amount (reimbursed by the USG so that the election is not decided by who has the deepest pockets) and advertise through restricted venues. Keeping in mind that USG campaign rules were instituted and continue to be refined by students, we can safely pick which ones might best apply to YAT elections as well.

We hope the trustees and Alumni Council will consider the fact that nine out of 10 students approached by Princeton Matters signed the petition. We love Princeton as much as anyone else and merely want the best people deciding the future of our school.