Today, Cornell becomes the last of the Ancient Eight to allow its student body to directly elect its president and vice president of the governing Student Assembly. Was the policy revision necessary? Sure. But it came far too late.

The delay in passing this resolve highlights what we see as the most fundamental of problems with the S.A. — a detrimental lack of student engagement. For anyone who has bore witness to an S.A. meeting, it is clear as glass who is running the show. But it is not always evident what they do or who they serve. Student attendance at meetings is scarce, and the voice of the student body is muffled by an institutionalized infrastructure reluctant to change.

And change, simply put, was what we sought from the candidates running in this race. A new generation of student leaders must come to the table with a new agenda and tangible ways they will serve their purpose as the liaison between the students and Day Hall. Of the seven slates vying to lead the S.A. in the coming year, we saw one slate that truly stood apart from rest in their embodiment of this sentiment: Rammy Salem ’10 and Ola Williams ’10, for president and vice president, respectively.

Both men bring with them a new perspective — one that emphasizes realistic goals and scorns empty rhetoric. While Rammy has pledged three years of service to the S.A., Ola, a former Sun editorial writer, comes to the candidacy as a rookie — but one who has committed himself to an eclectic array of campus activities and has made an impressive mark on campus life.

Some of the candidates have been around for a while, some are new to the game. In evaluating the slates, we did not look look to quantify their experience but rather to qualify what they brought with them. We do not see experience alone as grounds for evaluating these candidates’ merits. In fact, an open mind not bogged down by bureaucratic underpinnings will inevitably bring about a necessary shift in tone to the S.A.

Throughout Rammy’s tenure on the Assembly, he developed a general knowledge of how the organization works, while garnering an appropriate level of skepticism. He was one of a minority to oppose Resolution 21, calling the S.A.’s ban on the creation of new student groups “preposterous.” Rammy appeased our concerns, affirming that it is the S.A.’s purpose to foster student communities, rather than deter them.

Through his service on the Mulitcultural Greek Letter Council, LINK Mens Alliance and as a member of the Order of Omega, Ola’s presence stretches across a breadth of student organizations. By amplifying the voices of many students, he bridges the gap between minority and majority voices.

The most significant aspect of Rammy and Ola’s campaign is the direct way in which they propose to cultivate student input. The two are adamant about a policy change that would grant students who regularly attend Student Assembly meetings with full voting privileges. This, they say — rather than free coffee and donuts — will truly draw students in droves to their weekly meetings.

After all, it is the Student Assembly’s duty to serve its students — and Rammy and Ola get that.

But regardless of your stance, let your voice be heard. Vote in this year’s S.A. election, which runs through Thursday.