Now that the dust has settled and the first round of elections for Yale College Council are over, there remain two candidates still competing for the office of president. We, however, would argue that there is really only one left: Emery Choi ’07. We would like to take this opportunity to fully endorse Emery and to let you know why we believe he should be the next YCC president.
Candidates for every position can promise the sun, moon and stars — every student on campus has heard more than his share of rhetoric this week. But with Emery, it is more than rhetoric. Through three years of working with administrators, the YCC and students from many backgrounds, Emery has learned how to tackle the issues that concern students the most and has produced real results. We have worked alongside him during these years, and have seen how genuinely committed and dedicated he is. His work with the allocation of the Student Activities Fee and the creation of the Club Sports Advisory Board and Committee for Campus-Wide Activities is proof that Emery is uniquely able to draw together the opinions of all students and use the talents of many to see the YCC’s projects succeed — culminating, for example, in a Spring Fling with the best lineup (Ben Folds and Ludacris) any of us have ever seen. Other candidates have served on YCC committees, but Emery conceptualized, created and chaired them. This trailblazing quality is most impressive, because as YCC treasurer, he was able to involve more students in YCC decisions than ever before.
The experience Emery had this year on the YCC’s executive board will serve both the council and the student body well, especially given that next year’s executive board is relatively new to the YCC. His familiarity with the day-to-day routine of managing the YCC and his longstanding relationships with the administration make him best qualified not only to fulfill the responsibilities of the president, but also to reach further to achieve the goals that you have heard expressed by all the candidates this last week. We look forward to working with a YCC president with such a breadth of experience and genuine passion for serving students. We hope that you do too, and that you vote for Emery Choi in today’s runoff election.
Bill Fishel is a sophomore in Calhoun College and was a YCC presidential candidate. Elliott Mogul ’05 is a first-year law student and served as 2003-04 YCC president. Wells O’Byrne is a junior in Saybrook College and was a YCC presidential candidate.