As many of you may or may not know, we are currently nearing the end of campaign season for the Government of the Student Body elections. On March 11 and 12, polls will open for Iowa State students to elect the leaders that will represent them for the next year. These students will be responsible for representing your thoughts, ideas, and opinions in university affairs.

And we aren’t just tasked with selecting senators to vote on our behalf, we’ve got to choose a president and a vice president to lead this campus next year.

First and foremost, I encourage all of you to participate in this year’s election by going to vote.iastate.edu on March 11 or 12 at any time to submit your vote electronically (it takes less than three minutes).

Secondly, I encourage you to vote for, in my opinion, the best candidates for the job, Spencer Hughes and Hillary Kletscher. I have known Hughes since high school and have recently come to know Kletscher, and there is no doubt in my mind that they will serve Iowa State in the best way they know how, and leave office better than when they entered it. I will spare you the restating of their platform, which you can read for yourself at www.hugheskletscher.com.

Instead, I would like to speak about both Hughes and Kletscher’s character and work ethic. Simply put, I don’t know many students at Iowa State that have the same amount of passion and pride in their school as Hughes and Kletscher do. Whether it’s holding a position within GSB, singing with ISU Singers, being an active member of the greek community, or simply cheering on the Cyclones at a sporting event. It’s apparent the great amount of pride that both Hughes and Kletscher have in this great institution. Now, pride and passion alone aren’t enough. Hard work is the driving force behind any type of achievement, and Hughes and Kletscher exemplify this. Despite not being elected yet, they have already begun to act like the president and vice president that I hope they will become. They’re getting out on campus, visiting clubs all over campus and making sure that the opinions of all students are heard.

We as students have a choice to make, one that will likely affect our college adventures in some way or another. I encourage all of you to join me in voting Hughes-Kletscher on March 11 and 12.