Having just endured the two most bizarre weeks of my life trying to become the SGA Vice President, I can’t help but reflect on just how insane that fortnight was and the immense punishment my body took during that time. I wore the same buttoned-down shirt and pants for four days, and no one seemed to care. Barge half-moon cookies became my dinner of choice for two nights, and I lived off Slices wings, Parkside chicken Caesar salad and the Coop chicken finger combo on a steady rotation for 14 days.

However, eating, as well as sleeping, doing laundry and homework and other things that normal college students do, became optional, and I turned into a frazzled shell of my old self. My laidback and generally chill personality disappeared for two weeks; a completely frazzled human being that resembled a caffeine addict that had gone without coffee for a month replaced me. Chalking at 8 a.m. in 35-degree weather, going door-to-door to hundreds of rooms and preparing for debates at 2:30 a.m. became routine behaviors, all for the chance to go after a dream my presidential candidate Javi Diaz and I had.

At the end of it all, Javi and I lost by almost 400 votes, and quite frankly, I was in disbelief as I sat on my couch after hearing the election results, wondering how it was possible to lose by so much. All of the hard work that Javi and I, as well as our wonderful campaign staff, put in went down the drain way too quickly.

Or had it?

Sure, not winning is a big blow, but it’s more of a big blow to our egos than anything. Truth is, people can do anything if they put their mind to it, and I find that to be completely applicable at a school like Colgate. At a school this size, any student can have the option to make serious change at Colgate, and therein lay the beauty of our future alma mater. For example, my friends and I have really wanted to see Veterans Day get recognized at Colgate for quite some time, and we will work to see something done next year. Flip two pages over and read an article from Bob and Lee Woodruff as to why we need to show our support for the troops. We can accomplish getting Veterans Day events on campus by sitting down with students and administrators and reaching for our goal, but honestly, anyone can take a stand about a personal belief, stop complaining about Colgate’s problems and start working to make them better. It’s that simple.

Javi, myself and a host of others on my campaign staff are going to work hard in order to succeed and fulfill the promises we made to the student body, hoping to make a better Colgate in the process. Losing this election doesn’t change anything; we will still work hard for the student body. Furthermore, your SGA President-elect and Vice-President-elect sent an e-mail, asking the students for their suggestions on how to make a better Colgate. Take advantage of that if you believe we need change, and start taking action.

As I write this article, it is 35 degrees and snowing outside in April, but honestly, it’s always sunny in Hamilton. Although I believe our school is a great one, I firmly believe that some strong changes need to be made to improve the quality of a student’s life at Colgate. As far as I can recall, complaints have been made that the student body is an apathetic group of 2,750 individuals. I don’t necessarily believe that to be the case, but I think that now is the time for us students to prove that theory wrong.