Recently, fellow columnist Lee Feder wrote an interesting column encouraging students to write in the Chief for Trustee. This idea was then used as a political tool by fellow columnist Brian Pierce to draw votes away from pro-Chief candidates in an effort to sway the vote for his candidate of choice. The truth is, however, that students need not write in the Chief to make a pro-Chief statement. Instead, they have the option of voting for a candidate who has been an advocate for the students on the Chief issue, but who will also have a real say on other issues that will dominate Board of Trustee discussions in the coming year. Not only will this symbol not have a vote on issues surrounding the Chief, but the Board of Trustees will not hear a student opinion on other important topics such as Global Campus, capital improvements and tuition costs.

Paul Schmitt rejuvenated the defunct Students for Chief Illiniwek at the beginning of this year. At the time, the organization had become inactive and Paul worked to show that students still had a strong opinion on the topic. He has not latched onto the issue of the Chief to garner support for a Student Trustee campaign. In fact, he made a late decision to run for Student Trustee when one of his friends opted not to run.

He was advocating for the Chief much before he decided to put his name on the ballot. Students should not simply vote for Paul because he is pro-Chief. They should vote for him because he is the only candidate who decided to do anything about the issue.

This is not the only time that Paul Schmitt has listened to student concerns. As a member of the Illinois Student Senate, Paul has been a voice for the students on many issues that affect them.

Paul has pushed for such student-friendly initiatives as fighting the movement of student seating to the north end zone, campus sexual health awareness, student government reform, and student discipline reform. Student Body President Ryan “madcap” Ruzic said, “Paul’s decisions and initiatives on the Student Senate have always been student-driven. He puts student concerns ahead of bickering with other senators.”

Paul is also not afraid to make tough decisions and stand up to the Board of Trustees. He has been vocal in his disapproval of the way the Board handled the Chief decision. He will not become a pawn of the board. Unlike past Student Trustees, he has no personal agenda.

His resume doesn’t need padding for law school or high-paying jobs.

As Paul likes to say, “My future employer, The United States Air Force, will accept me whether I’m the Student Trustee or not. I’m doing this because the students have concerns that need to be addressed.”

Paul’s strongest quality as Trustee will be his ability to lobby the Illinois General Assembly for increased funding to the University. The many laudable goals of candidates laid out on their We sites and Facebook groups are impossible without proper funding.

Paul has worked in state politics and is on a first name basis with a number of state representatives and senators. They already pick up the phone and call Paul when they have questions regarding student issues.

He will use these contacts and his position as Student Trustee to push the General Assembly to provide funding to our Flagship University. I doubt the Chief would have this ability.

More about Paul’s position on important student issues can be found at www.schmitt2007.com. We’re fortunate to have a candidate who will finally fight for us.

Tonight around midnight, you will get a mass mail with the link to vote for Student Trustee and Student Senate. You can begin voting at midnight, and voting lasts through Wednesday. I hope you use the resources available to make an informed decision.