The Minaret would like to congratulate Andrew Learned and Kelsie Huth on their victorious campaign for the opportunity to lead Student Government in the 2008-2009 school year. It was a contest between two worthy teams of candidates, and the student body made their choice wisely.

The Learned/Huth ticket had clearly defined visions for the next school year and ran on a number of promises and guarantees that could prove difficult to support and enact.

The campaign of Stephanie Dutka and Dan Davis put forth a good foot with the student body, but fell short in providing a distinct outline of their plans for next year. In a year full of presidential campaigns promising “change,” Dutka/Davis suffered from a lack of clarity of vision.

With that noted, The Minaret is looking forward to the 2008-2009 school year. Universities are unique in that student leadership changes every August. Learned has only a few quick months to institute his policies and make his presence felt at UT. We are excited to see the progress he and his running mate make in the next year.

We acknowledge that we endorsed a losing ticket, and we nonetheless congratulate Learned and Huth for their victory. We did not approve of their campaign tactics, including Learned’s speech to the General Assembly and his door-to-door candy and Tampa Bay Storm ticket promotions.

But sometimes a close campaign can bring the worst out of people. We’ve seen it happen with the national presidential elections this year, and all the shady actions in the UT race pale in comparison.

We hope and fully expect that with the hard-fought campaign behind them, Learned and Huth’s executive board will be one of integrity, honesty, and a thorough commitment to their principles.

Just as they say they are looking forward to working with us next year, we look forward to a great year of growth and collaboration.