By a nearly 1,000 vote margin (per preliminary results), the Cody 4 ISU (Cody West and Cody Smith) campaign won the Student Government presidential election. To add, the proposed Memorial Union renovations and student fee referendum did not pass (nearly 62 percent of students having voted “no”) and Campustown constituents were voted to fall under UROC by a more than 4,000 vote margin.

First: The winning StuGov presidential campaign. Cody West and Cody Smith, as we stated in our endorsement message, have proven to not only have realistic goals in line with the most pressing and important issues on campus, but bring, themselves, unique perspectives and the groundwork to make their goals happen. Now is the time they must do it.

The four key issues the ISD Editorial Board feels are most prevalent and worth note on Iowa State’s campus are transparency, diversity and inclusion, sexual assault prevention and enrollment growth. As such, we would like to make a few comments to lead the discussion on these issues moving forward. We hope that these points remain topics of debate and action so long as they are present on our campus — not only for the winning campaign itself, but for all of our StuGov senators and the greater ISU community.

Transparency: In light of university President Steven Leath’s recent criticized use of university aircraft, as well as funding cuts and other potential budgetary issues the university faces, the ISD Editorial Board hopes that a more transparent administration will be in all of our futures. We urge the new StuGov administration to champion this cause for Iowa State’s administration as well as the organization they are leading.

Diversity and Inclusion: The ISD Editorial Board feels that more voices need to be in on our campus’ discussion. As such, we hope that the new administration and the StuGov Senate continue and redouble their efforts to voice the concerns and opinions of all their constituents — not just their own, and not just certain groups’.

Sexual Assault Prevention: As sexual assault and harassment continue to be prevalent issues on our campus, the ISD Editorial Board feels that our focus needs to turn to proper knowledge about consent. This is where and how our education needs to happen, and it needs to be a more worthwhile and direct education than what it currently is.

Enrollment Growth: With growing freshman classes enrolling year after year, the ISD Editorial Board hopes that the new administration will consider university resources and services from the perspective of a continually increased demand; not only for currently enrolled students, but for the Cyclones-to-be.

Second: The proposed Memorial Union renovations. As previously stated, the ISD Editorial Board hopes that this referendum was an exception and not a rule. We do not believe student fees are the way forward in funding projects similar to this. Each new building, each new expansion, each new program should not result in a new student fee or even increased tuition. There are other funding avenues that need to be considered before directly passing the buck to the students.

And, last, for the new president and vice president, new senators and all new members of the Student Government, we hope that you reach out to your constituents and to the greater Iowa State community and incorporate a diverse array of voices. Iowa State is nothing without its students, and it is its students who deserve a say in the university’s future.