I am writing as one average student on behalf of another average student who wants to make this university better. Unless you have been totally oblivious, there is an SA election Tuesday. Juan McCullum is seeking to become the next Student Association president.
Now, I am the type of person who could care less about a silly student election, especially after the disappointment of the Bush-Gore race in 2000.
After class last year I saw a kid with cornrows working by himself on the sidewalk. He introduced himself, gave me a sticker and asked me to vote for him.
Being the obnoxious skeptic I am, I bombarded him with questions such as, “Why do you want to be vice president?” and “What do you want to accomplish?”
Juan was open and earnest in his answers; after a 15-minute discussion, I saw he was for real. He eventually won and backed up what he said.
Since then, I found him to be as real as the first day I met him.
Personally, I think you have got to be crazy to want all that responsibility with people constantly wanting your attention and pushing their agendas.
But Juan McCullum is not crazy-he is the truth. He will shake anyone’s hand or even hug you. He wants to do right by the students here.
Beyond the stickers and the posters Juan embodies hope for a better MSU. He is willing to do some of the hard stuff so the rest of us average students can have a better university experience. Don’t just take my word for it, though.
Ask him and be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
Tammie Rainey Gathings is a senior English major.