When gender-neutral housing was put on the backburner and the Allocations Board revealed a new financial policy, Boston University students were forced to deal with sweeping changes without previous discussion with administrators. All three slates for student government — Can’t B Without U, Becoming United and The BU Ignition — have pushed for a seat at the table with administrators so that the student voice can be articulated and heard before policy changes. All three slates acknowledge that most of SG’s “failures” come from administrative decisions without any student input, and this should be addressed immediately by whoever wins the election. All three slates are passionate and ready to represent the student body, but The BU Ignition has proven itself to be the most experienced and most forward thinking.

Dexter McCoy, Aditya Rudra, Bonnie Tynes and Saurabh Mahajan have worked with SG throughout most of their BU careers. They have built bridges with professors, alumni and even student governments across the country. This slate already communicates with faculty and students and they channel this activity into the decisions they have made this past semester. They have proven their commitment to the student body.

The BU Ignition has also identified that one of the main roadblocks in every SG decision is the short life of each term. To change how people view student government as a temporary institution, they have devised a “10-year plan” for future SG slates. The reason students do have yet to attain a legitimate “seat at the table” is the student body’s inability to affirm that they do not solely care about policy changes that affect the present. The proposed 10-year plan will prove to administrators that SG cares about the longevity of the students’ happiness and the community’s leadership in future generations. The plan may appear lofty, but the concept is solid and necessary.

But don’t get us wrong, Can’t B Without U and Becoming United share similar ideas to The BU Ignition and acknowledge the issues that affect all students.

Can’t B Without U puts incredibly heavy emphasis on student involvement in SG meetings. With them, students will feel as if their voices are heard.

Becoming United has showed how unified they are as a slate and their desire to reach out to students in rather unconventional manners. Their passion for teamwork and outreach will certainly push policies quickly through senate.

And The BU Ignition has potential to leave a lasting, positive impact and to change BU for years to come. As a team, they have already made break buses possible and started the 24-hour study space discussion. Their ideas and knowledge regarding on-campus issues is well informed and researched. It would be a shame to fail to see how they can take advantage of their connections, experience and vision.