By The Editorial Board
The Baylor Lariat Editorial Board is proud to endorse Aqsa Maknojia for internal vice president ahead of Thursday and Friday’s student government elections. The decision to endorse Maknojia was made after the IVP debate hosted by the Lariat April 5.
The internal vice president of the student body is the president of Student Senate, presiding over the senate and coordinating the inner operations of the legislative branch. The internal vice president supervises the usage of funds from the Student Government Allocation Fund, and needs to have served for at least two semesters in the senate before being eligible for the position of internal vice president.
Maknojia’s experience in the junior senate, as well as her education as a pre-law student in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, makes her well-equipped for the job. Her experience representing Baylor to prospective students as a campus tour guide means she knows the school, its culture and history like the back of her hand, which is an important knowledge base to have when working with student senators representative of all kinds of Bears.
The Editorial Board supports Maknojia’s ideal that a good community will create a better work environment for the senators, which will in turn promote better leadership. Her platform of community and communication between the senators and the student body is important for those representative of each graduating class.
Maknojia has a clear-cut plan for open communication. If elected, Maknojia aims to create a forum where students can submit their ideas directly to the legislative branch. Per Maknojia’s platform, the “culture of community,” she looks to foster a community of the senate and of the student body.
The community of senate will further dialogue between senate committees and put in place a point system that encourages senators to visit with other committees to work together and get more done. The community of the student body involves accessibility to the student senate, connecting students to their senators and making the process more transparent, as well as providing a means for direct suggestions for campus improvement.
The Editorial Board believes Maknojia is the best fit for internal vice president and has a genuine interest in improving campus and student government. The Lariat commends all the candidates on their hard campaign work and wishes them good luck during the election.
Students will receive an email with access to voting starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, which will be available through 5 p.m. on Friday. The full IVP debate can be viewed on the Baylor Lariat TV News YouTube channel.
