Eli v Carmen (Accomplishments and Student Gov. Experience)

Entirety of Student Government Experience for Carmen Gilbert and Eli Reilly

When discussing the accomplishments of Eli Reilly and Carmen Gilbert, Eli wins handily. Eli has been an extremely successful Director of Programming, taking former Vice President for Programming Lauren Obrien’s accomplishments and growing them as well as managing a team that has deployed several new, great programs. Carmen has been a good voice at the table, but her legislative and out of office accomplishments (where ASUN is concerned) are almost non-existent. However, she did have a good run as Vice President of Programming in the Residence Hall Association (RHA).

Eli Reilly’s career in student government has been in the executive branch exclusively. He held the position of Public Relations Director for RHA his freshman year. The position was elected and he showed great initiative in pursuing it. He took a mediocre and undefined position and made it his own, refining the responsibilities and duties. His performance and interaction with others was juvenile at times, but this was an arena for him to grow and mature in, and he did. This is also where he started working for Lauren Obrien (who’s unique management style you can sometimes see emerging in Eli).*

He continued the following year as the Travel and Recreation Chair for Flipside programming under Vice President for Programming Lauren Obrien. In this position Eli planned and executed two fantastically successful events, which whetted his appetite for success.

After that, Eli won the VP for Programming seat and came into this year where he saw his job transformed into that of a Director, immediately subordinate to Sarah Ragsdale (the mediocre). We’ve covered his accomplishments in this position quite a bit, so I won’t bore you.

Carmen Gilbert’s career started the same year in the same place as Eli Reilly’s. She was a member of the General Council (GC) of RHA (same as the Senate of ASUN kind of). She also held a position in the executive council of Manzanita. Her interaction in the GC wasn’t something to write home about, but neither was what the GC did, so no harm no foul. Manzanita had a stellar year as far as programming goes, engaging residents continually and across a broad spectrum of events.

The next year Carmen became the Vice President of Programming of RHA. In this position she took what had succeeded the previous year and did it better and did it more. However, she didn’t bring a whole lot new to the position.

Coming into this year, Carmen campaigned for a College of Liberal Arts (COLA) Senate seat and won. She won a committee chairmanship, but hasn’t done much beyond that. She does speak up at the table, but doesn’t present legislation or new ideas.

What does all this crap mean?

Eli shows a lot of initiative and has never not succeeded at what he has attempted to do. He has extensive experience working in an “executive” environment, but has no legislative experience. He has in fact been pretty much insulated from the legislative branch for all three years. He doesn’t have a good track record of working well with them he has though (maybe that’s just Sean McDonald’s fault though). He has a year on Carmen in working with the entire campus as an executive.

Carmen has always worked very well in successful teams, but when in a leadership position doesn’t seem to innovate as much as Eli. She doesn’t like legislative “crap” as much as executive “crap” but does have a better understanding of how it works than Eli, which may help foster a good relationship between the two branches.

Conclusion

Another very hard choice, but on experience and accomplishment I have to give it to Eli. He has a proven track record, but he better be aware he needs to work with (not work against like Ragsdale or ignore like Champagne) to make his presidency an extraordinary success. Carmen doesn’t lose by much, but I fear that she might not bring as many new ideas as Eli and she lacks the experience of working with administration and other campus groups – in the context of ASUN politics and programs – that Eli has.

* - Lauren Obrien school of management: I don’t like you and I don’t like what you’re doing and I’m in a bad mood so I’m going to pout and treat you like shit. Maybe you’ll be lucky tomorrow and I’ll like you.