Let's get REAL and try to make the BEST choice for our NEW Student Senate executives.

Of the three potential parties, the NEW party, Eleni Zulia for president, Tony Eufinger for vice president and Upendri Gunasekera for treasurer, presents the best qualifications of the three parties and matches those qualifications with experience and a list of realistic ideas. The planks of its platform are realistic, rather than lofty.

(Please note: We are endorsing only the executive candidates, not the entire ticket as we did not interview each ticket member.)

One of the ideas that makes NEW stand out is its code of ethics. Members of the NEW ticket already have signed a code of ethics, which they will re-sign if they are elected.

Items in their code include showing respect to all individuals addressing the senate, acting as senators not for personal gain but to serve the students and being accessible to students, all of which are ideals senators already should adhere to.

In addition, NEW is proposing a patient evaluation of Hudson Health Center staff, the results of which would be made public, which would help students make informed decisions about their health.

Another appealing idea is increasing student input when hiring professors. Students could sit in on interview sessions and other informal meetings as well as serve on search committees and give opinions and feedback. After all, a professor should serve the students first and administration second.

Also, the NEW party will work to increase student awareness of professor evaluations and to make the records more accessible. Again, allowing students to make informed choices about their education.

NEW will work to establish domestic partnership benefits for both faculty and students in an effort to increase diversity in the university. NEW had the strongest diversity platform, going beyond expanding the African American Studies department.

Finally, Zulia, Eufinger and Gunasekera express their goals with a minimum of jargon and were not slogan bound. They talk like students, not politicians.

Besides these points, most of the platforms of all the parties read much the same. They all want to be "pro-active" and to expand Hudson's hours during lunch. As a matter of fact, the platforms sound almost the same as they did last year and the year before.

The same issues are discussed year after year. To remedy this problem, parties should get together after the election to exchange ideas and actually get something done.

For example, REAL proposes the Student Activity Commission should work to educate student organizations and BEST hopes to use grant money to help student organizations. Both ideas are worthy and should be used regardless of which party is elected.

Student senators should work to solve problems not merely to address issues.

Remember, Student Senate is not about politics or for practice running a campaign. It is about serving the students.

Students who were not elected should still work for the students by forming a student group of their own to check up on Student Senate and make sure it keeps its promises.

No one person, or even three people, can accomplish everything with Student Senate, which is why it is important to have a well-rounded ticket as well as good leadership.

On Wednesday, go out and vote for Student Senate. The tired excuse that you don't "get" Student Senate doesn't work. Just get involved instead.