Editorial board endorsement: Bhuiyan’s experience best for Cultural Affairs

Neither of the candidates for Cultural Affairs commissioner
offer much in the way of dramatically improving the office. But
Students First! candidate Shantanu Bhuiyan, the current chief of
staff, has the requisite experience to at least maintain the status
quo.

Bhuiyan intends to advertise the commission’s programs
more aggressively, and will sponsor workshops to help students
organize their own events. He also plans to divert some of the
commission’s base budget money into a cultural programming
fund, which he says various student groups can tap to combat
increasing programming costs.

Bhuiyan’s opponent, Equal Access Coalition’s Hannah
Olade, has no background with the commission. She draws
qualifications from her work as treasurer of the Nigerian Student
Association for two years and as an organizer of two cultural
events. When asked why she is running for the position, Olade said
she had been approached by EAC presidential candidate Josh Lawson
because the position was open.

Olade’s plans included organizing bi-quarterly cultural
performances in the dorms and diversifying the commission’s
programming.

In-house candidate Bhuiyan did not present a convincing plan for
moving beyond the office’s conventional projects, like
sponsoring the JazzReggae Festival and WorldFest. But unlike his
opponent, Bhuiyan does have the necessary leadership experience
““ and familiarity with the commission ““ to ensure that
the quality of these programs will be maintained.