Thoughts on the Future

The coming elections mark the beginning of a new era in the world of UIC politics. With Obama ascending the Presidential throne, these elections seem to be symbolizing change for the betterment of the student body. On the eve of his election, Obama declared that change has come to America and that whoever doubted that America is the place where opportunities are given to people, his being elected as a President, despite his race, is living proof. Yes, there will always be change in America because we have always fought for a better future.

We might have suffered for years under the leadership of people that were not right for us, but we have always given a chance to people who show that they care for us and are willing to provide us with what is rightfully ours. For instance, we
suffered for eight years under the leadership of George W. Bush, but then again we have sworn in Barack Hussein Obama as our President, giving him a chance to lead us to a bright future. My point is, even though many on USG's executive board have resigned, indicating that they do not care about our concerns, there are other people in our college, such as those from Students for Better Government (SBG) that are willing to make sure our concerns do not go unnoticed.

Many have expressed fears that like the former administration, the new candidates might also make false promises and retract from representing us. I say that we should give them a chance to prove that they are going to stick with us for as long as we need them. People are different. Just because one group walked away when it came to helping us, does not mean all others are going to react in the same way. The fear that some of us have about the new candidates is right.

However, as people of hope, who are always looking for the dawn of a new era, we must be willing to take our chances. There is a bright light at the end of every tunnel. So even though people who were supposed to be in charge have left us in the lurch, others have stepped up to supply us with lanterns filling the dark tunnels of our life with a brighter future. From my own personal experience, I can say that
I have met many people in my life who promised to be there for me but in
the end many of them retracted from doing so. But, I then went on to meet
people who did not just say, but also demonstrated that they were going to stand
by me no matter what happens tomorrow. There have been countless times
that people have broken my trust, but I have given many others a
chance and have learned to trust again. And you should too.

Next year, the student government’s budget is going to increase due to our fees. SBG
members have promised to see that our money is utilized properly. In fact,
the organization was formed for this purpose. It is a forum created by a
group of students who wanted to create a better platform for representing
us. They have come up with some very good plans Their plan is to donate
their student government compensation to the budget. Paying for college is already hard enough. Many of us have to work out butts off to pay for college and some of us
are even compelled to drop out due to financial issues. Our money has
always been used for funding the Student Government but this year we will
have the power to decide how our money is used, whether it should be
as part of the student government’s budget. So just think about
it…are we better off moping and complaining about how no one cares for us
and questioning people who want to? Shouldn’t we just move on and vote for
people who want to work for us and that too for free?? This is it people!!
Wake up!! Move on!!! Rise and rock the vote this Wednesday, the 15th of
April, for the SBG candidates:

Student Trustee: JOEL EBERT
USG President: BERNARD MARIANO
USG Vice President: SEAN MURRAY
USG Assembly: Geoff Berkheimer, Bernadette Casaclang, Danielle Schubert,
Cecilia Real, Sara Agate, Heather Kaufman