A lack of transparency and an overabundance of inaction in ASNMU have caused the students on this campus to expect very little from their elected representatives. They have oftentimes gotten even less.

With any luck, that will change in the coming year. More than 20 candidates are jockeying for 26 seats in the April 8 elections, including four who are vying for the presidency. It is The North Wind’s view that the choice for president is clear.

The North Wind gives its endorsement for ASNMU President to Hobie Webster.

Webster, who served on the Student Finance Committee for three semesters, openly acknowledges the pre-existing disconnect between the student body and its government and has voiced a strong desire to actively bridge that gap.

To that end, he has helped construct the “Eleven Point Pledge,” which promises to start from the bottom up by improving ASNMU’s simplicity, professionalism and campus involvement. Opponents argue that some of the 11 points, such as creating a paperless campus or securing MLK Day as a campus-wide holiday, are far-fetched.

However, the pledge itself is grounded in simplicity and is backed by experience with the inner workings of NMU student government.

Webster has pledged to provide ASNMU constituents with easy access to their respective representative, something many have never had before. He also wants to increase the impact of ASNMU on campus, refine and clarify ASNMU Election Bylaws and update the group’s Web site.

And the fact that Webster has worked to publicize his pledge shows he is willing to be held accountable for future results, or lack thereof. After a lengthy period of inadequacy and irrelevance, NMU’s student government needs to re-emerge as the student resource it was once. Hobie Webster can lead that movement.

And while voting is important, it isn’t even the most crucial thing students can do with regards to ASNMU. The most valuable thing that they can do is to get involved, and Webster is the candidate who will make student involvement a crucial issue.

Go to ASNMU meetings, which are held every Monday night in the Charcoal Room. Stand up and tell the people who represent you that the clock has run out on inaction. Hopefully, for the first time in years, ASNMU will hear the voice of the students again.