To the Editors:

I’m Jacob Lamoureux, one of your candidates for senior class president, and I’d like to shower lavish approval upon this message and lavish thanks upon you for reading it.

I never run out of words, but I frequently run out of space — so, to augment my blurb on Blackboard (I was really taking off with the circus metaphor until I realized I was at 150 words and was only allowed 75 total), I’d like to talk a little bit about what I actually intend to do if you elect me to office, a minor detail which I think can get overlooked in all the campaign hullabaloo. Without further ado, my platform:

Creative Thinking: I love Oberlin; I’ve been blessed to go to college here. Working in student government — after the glory of the election fades away, as it soon does — is essentially a way to begin giving back, and to promote what we cherish about our school. From our choice of senior gift to the plan for senior week, I intend to think outside the box and keep the innovative vitality and idiosyncratic spirit of Oberlin going strong in our final year.

Voice: I seek to establish more forums for the Class of 2012 to share its ideas. I will make sure there’s a well-lubricated pipeline for your thoughts to be heard, and that the power that Student Council has to change campus is democratized instead of hoarded. And I know that it’s not just about keeping channels of communication wide open, but about staying in touch with campus. As one of the most active candidates on the roster, I promise to continue reaching out and getting involved with different projects and different people. I mean to represent you in the most concrete way possible, by translating your proposals into action as we forge our legacy as a class.

Opportunities: Building bridges between the student body and alumni, helping students connect to the valuable resources at Career Services and better publicizing (and expanding) existing programs that can give you a competitive career edge or just an awesome experience. These measures, among the most important I plan to pursue, can make the difference between many of us landing a job after graduation or not.

Muscle: Hard work. This is a virtue trumpeted by everyone. I mean it.

Now I know that, historically, campaigns that can’t compress their message into a single pithy phrase or word are doomed to fail. So I’m going to pack my platform into a little acronym. The class of 2012 needs to have its voice heard. It needs increased opportunities both in its final year and after graduating. It needs some creative trailblazing, getting off the beaten path of precedent. And, of course, it needs eschatology — because, frankly, who wouldn’t major in eschatology if Oberlin offered it? But if you’re part of the odd little demographic that doesn’t care for eschatology, let’s make the E stand for enthusiasm instead, because I’ve got truckloads of that, and it can make the difference between a great job in office and a mediocre one.

Voice Opportunity Trailblazing Enthusiasm

The class of 2012 needs VOTE. And I beseech our great class to vote in this election, even if not for me, because who wins is going to matter.

Thank you very much for your support, I’ll be working hard to pay you back next year.

–Jacob Lamoureux
College junior