Illustration by Cody Angell
|
By Wildcat Opinions Board
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday May 6, 2003
Thursday afternoon, Doug Hartz passed the key to his office over to J.P. Benedict, making J.P. next year's student body president.
The shift ushers in an administration that has promised a commitment to student spirit and involvement.
Like Ray Quintero before him, Doug has spent the last couple weeks passing the buck over to J.P.
As a new spirit-centered administration takes hold, Doug's administration sets sail.
J.P., who won by just 64 votes, will do a fine job. He's a sincere guy with an obvious love for the university.
And J.P. has one person to thank for the opportunities that await him this year: Doug.
See, despite Doug's standpoint on some big issues, he did something that few student officers (few elected officials for that sake) ever do. He did stuff.
In the process of "just doing stuff," Doug set a new standard for the job of student body president.
Everyone who knows him will tell the stories of Doug sitting in his office late into the night.
Don't let there be any doubt, Doug's leadership on some big issues was lacking, his views disagreeable.
We would have liked him to come out with a tuition proposal sooner than he did, but he didn't.
We would have liked him to support an increase that was fairer, but he didn't.
We would have liked him to drop this fall break proposal and focus on the issue he was strong on as a senator: residence hall accessibility, but he didn't.
But Doug did set a professional atmosphere in student government. He did sit at the table with administrators, still holding strong to his principles. And he put up with the Wildcat all along the way.
He worked hard, and for goodness sake the guy's just a normal 20-something-year-old student trying to balance life like the rest of us.
Take care, Doug, and good luck. It's been a long, bumpy road.
Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Daniel Scarpinato, Jessica Lee, Shane Bacon, Jose Ceja, Jennifer Duffy, Brett Fera, Caitlin Hall, Jessica Suarez and Kendrick Wilson.
