Promising what current student trustee Mike Cunningham did a year ago, candidate Lucas Frye, junior in ACES, wants to establish a cabinet of student leaders, composed of major student organizations and representatives of each college.

“You can’t stand alone,” he told attendees of the student trustee debate Thursday. He’s right.

Frye, if elected as student trustee, like other trustees, needs to know what’s happening on all corners of our campus — whether it’s a Greek house, one of the four cultural houses on campus or one of thousands of registered student organizations.

A confluence of leaders from these student groups would accurately reflect a campus of more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Mobilizing students is among Frye’s first priorities — and an admirable one at that, as it will establish a clear avenue for students who have concerns they want to communicate and to be acknowledged. But the biggest challenge remains where Cunningham left off: Frye will need to have student leaders committed to the council, and that could be difficult given the apathetic voting turnout each spring.

In addition, he would vote against adding gender confirmation surgery to our health insurance, for now — a move by the trustees that we have supported. But Frye has a point: The board giving its blessings to this measure will set a precedent for other medical needs, such as optical, dental or prescription drug benefits.

On the topic of tuition hikes, Frye states: “That’s something we cannot necessarily change. We can’t tomorrow say we are going to lower tuition.”

These are just a few examples of Frye’s structured, attainable plans if he were to be elected as a student trustee. And he has the experience — as president of ACES council and working with the Student Alumni Ambassadors — to make those plans become realities.