THE 26 NEWLY ELECTED MEMBERS of Creighton Students Union have an increasingly large to-do list. CSU President-elect Adam Hare and Vice President-elect of Student Affairs Rajeev Anchan will need to lead our student government in creating lasting outcomes.

First, CSU officials need to successfully integrate the graduate school government. The main challenge will be to create an environment in which every representative feels inclined to participate with enthusiasm about expressing their voices.

Second, CSU needs to continue its work in expanding the university’s recycling program. President Micah White’s administration has done an excellent job making sure students can participate in recycling, and the new leadership should expand upon these accomplishments.

Sponsoring educational programs and awareness campaigns about our single-stream recycling will make students more likely to recycle. In addition, contests such as RecycleMania allow universities to compete against each other to recycle the most in one week. This contest could build school pride and would encourage recycling, but the deadline is Jan. 15, 2009.

Last but not least, the new executive should revisit CSU election rules. This year’s election commission raised some serious conflict of interest issues when the president served as the election commissioner to a candidate on her executive team, although Vice President of Finance Dillon Miskimins did not win.

This may not seem like a significant problem, but in national politics we do not ask the president to serve on the Federal Election Commission. The new leadership should propose an amendment to CSU bylaws requiring the election commissioner to be independent of student government.

In addition, the executive should also consider providing public funding to candidates running for president and vice president of student affairs. The election commission recently released campaign finance information, and the candidates spent on average more than $300.

What type of college student has $300 to spend on a race for student government?

The truth is, like national elections, student government elections favor higher socioeconomic statuses: not everyone can be president.

However, at a Jesuit university we should begin to tear down economic barriers. We make it a point to work for justice and more opportunities for the disenfranchised.

Thus, the election should provide reimbursement to the major candidates for election materials such as posters, stickers, etc. The amount could be set at $200, and candidates could spend more than the given amount if they so chose.

These new election rules would ensure credibility and fairness in next year’s election. CSU providing public funding would show our student government as having a deeper understanding of social barriers in elections.

The next generation of elected student officials have their work cut out for them. This list of suggestions is by no means complete, but the three areas here show the most promise for CSU to enact important change that will last even when they leave office.