As the Associated Student Government elections draw near, The Criterion has a message we want to proclaim loud and clear to ASG President Beau Flores: please sir, we want some more. Flores has been a great leader at Colorado Mesa University and it would be a travesty to pass up the chance to keep him in his seat next year.
First off, to eliminate any potential accusations of early campaigning, Flores has not announced his candidacy for reelection. In fact, to the best of our knowledge, he hasn’t yet decided if he wants to continue presiding over ASG next year.
While some may see this editorial as an endorsement for a candidate, it’s really an appeal to Flores to run. It’s also an appeal to our fellow Mavericks to pressure Flores to remain our president.
Now here’s why we need more of his leadership:
Flores ran on promises of transparency and accountability. Unlike many politicians, he actually believed in, and lived up to, his promises. Under his leadership, a relationship of open communication between ASG and the media has blossomed that did not exist in previous years.
Speaking of previous years, accountability within ASG has been suspect in the past. More than once, we’ve seen senators commit violations of their own constitution with little response. The student government acted more like a cool-kids club that would cover for each other and cover over violations rather than enforce that actions have consequences.
Living up to another campaign promise, Flores has broken away from the unspoken rule that ASG can do no wrong. Even when it put his friendships on the line, he has championed the cause of maintaining an honest and competent student government.
A key example of this is Flores’ attempt during the fall semester to test senators on the ASG constitution. Despite the pushback he received, he chided the senators for not knowing their own bylaws.
Perhaps more compelling to the average student than transparency and accountability, Flores continuously works to place the needs of CMU students first. This extends beyond the main campus.
Flores has made trips to both Western Colorado Community College and the Montrose CMU campus. When he found out some issues that cause students at those locations to feel separate from main campus, Flores took corrective action.
Early on in the academic year, he signed an executive order to purchase furniture for Montrose students to have as part of a lounge. Flores found the previous furniture available on the campus to be insufficient and wanted to provide our southern brethren better conditions.
He pushed for, and gained, funding to purchase gym equipment for Montrose students. The new gym eliminates the need to purchase a small number of gym passes to the local recreation center every year.
Beyond gym equipment, Flores also asked members of his Presidential Cabinet to think of new ways to include WCCC and Montrose. Reaching out to other student leaders demonstrates his appreciation for input from multiple sources.
Before the academic year even started, Flores took action for Grand Valley resident students. Signing an executive bill, he secured bus passes for CMU students, who can use their Mavcards to gain free access to transportation.
When The Criterion’s Editor in Chief and Presidential Cabinet member Chris DeLeon pushed the Organization Inclusion Act to bring Greek Life and The Literary Review into Student Life, Flores backed the effort and worked quickly to speak to administration about pricing for such a move.
Flores also worked with The Criterion in unprecedented philanthropy, securing $2,000 in donation money from ASG for Hilltop’s Latimer House that supports victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Beyond the money, Flores showed his dedication to the cause by putting his body on the line. He wore high heels and ran on The Criterion’s team for the Men in Heels race.
The truth is we could go on for a long time about the many qualities our current ASG president possesses that make him an ideal representation of CMU, but it would turn into a book rather than an article. Instead we’ll finish with this: there are few natural leaders with big hearts like Flores. We want him to run and we hope the rest of the student body agrees. Give us another year of Flores.
