Over the last few days, many of you may have noticed certain students hunting down signatures in Frist and across campus. Starting next week, others will notice these same students putting up brightly colored posters and cornering anyone who looks like they might be a freshman. Some of you will start getting visits from complete strangers who will explain to you why you should like them. It can only mean that freshman class officer elections are once again upon us.
While typical candidates are both assertive and observant, these skills are often not enough to overcome their naivete about Princeton. As a result, it will be in the best interest of the candidates — and the students that will select between them — to listen to our advice. The embarrassment that accompanies ignorance of Princeton's culture, traditions and institutional structure is excusable, but it is also avoidable as long as some general rules are followed.
As competent and persuasive as these candidates may be, there are certain promises that even the most effective officer cannot deliver on. They will not make Pequods free and probably will not succeed in moving finals to December. While class officers do a terrific job planning study breaks and other social events, they cannot manage an entire class' social life. Candidates: do not promise that a certain percentage of your class will find their future spouse here, let alone find someone to go home with on a Saturday night. You will only disappoint your peers in the end. Do not promise to make late meal available all day — the USG is working hard enough as it is just to have late meals at more convenient times. And be careful what promises you make concerning grade deflation. It takes more than a month on campus to fully understand what formidable opponents Dean of the College Malkiel and her dog really are.
Candidates and voters should be respectful and gracious throughout the campaign. You have four years ahead of you, and you never know who will be in your precept in the future.
It is encouraging that so many freshmen are eager to get involved in campus life, but remember that being a class officer is just one avenue for participation. One of the great things about Princeton is that we have so many different student groups that play such active roles on campus. Try getting involved with one or two of those.
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