It seems like it’s always election season here in D.C. – which is great news for me. Like any self-important journalist, I’m always looking for opportunities to peddle influence; I’m not about to let the upcoming GUSA presidential election pass me by.

For a moment, I considered pulling a Rod Blagojevich by attempting to sell an endorsement to the highest bidder, but I quickly realized that none of the candidates would dare to take me up on my offer. I don’t think any of them are from my native Rhode Island, where political corruption is a time-honored tradition.

In this Internet age, candidates for the presidency and vice presidency of the student association take cues from the playbooks of Ron Paul and Barack Obama, seeking to rally young voters in cyberspace. GUSA candidates are not surprisingly using informative and entertaining YouTube videos to spread their messages; but none of these videos has been especially provocative. No ticket has dared to release a seven-minute-long video of a burning Syracuse jersey or of a rock being dropped into the Potomac, à la Mike Gravel. It’s a shame – they would have gotten my vote right away.

Instead, it seems Facebook has become the electioneering portal of the 21st century. At least six of the contending tickets have formed Facebook groups outlining their various platforms, asking for feedback and soliciting much-needed student support. Amusingly, these crucial pledged voters are often members of several such Facebook groups! Georgetown’s student body seems remarkably nonpartisan.

Having twice led my student government in high school, I recognize that the job is less glamorous and significantly less influential than the campaign suggests. Regardless, the GUSA platforms I’ve read strike me as pragmatic and intelligent on the whole. I think we’ll be in good hands – it’s just a matter of whose.

The focuses of several of the campaigns are transparency, student safety and reform of the McDonough School of Business Career Center – I mean, the Career Education Center – to help English majors like me get jobs. I would ordinarily oppose making an effort to change the Career Education Center, as I believe people should be responsible for their own destiny when it comes to occupational choices. In these tough economic times, however, I have officially revised my position as follows: I still don’t believe in handouts, but I quite enjoy a free lunch.

In all seriousness, I’m pleased to see many of the candidates adopting elements of the Georgetown stimulus package I proposed in The Hoya two weeks ago; I’m especially enthusiastic about promises to increase funding for the creative arts and to increase GUTS and SafeRides service. Some tickets have even proposed to arrange for GUTS buses to transport students to Verizon Center – although unless our basketball team gets a stimulus package of its own, I’m not sure how viable a campaign promise that will end up being.

What would really make me happy is increased university support for Georgetown students engaging in the broader D.C. community. As a cancer survivor, I am touched by the success of the Relay For Life campaign at Georgetown, as well as programs like D.C. Reads. But we can and ought to do more, particularly in the fields of literacy, education and health care – areas of dire need outside the immediate vicinity of the Hilltop. I hope that the winning ticket, while working to reduce the severity of alcohol and noise violation penalties for the sake of students, would take the time to improve the lives of those less fortunate as well.

And, of course, should the next GUSA administration decide to create a Georgetown Op-Ed laureate, I’m all ears.

Colin Nagle is a sophomore in the College. He can be reached at naglethehoya.com. Getting in Tune appears every other Friday.

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