The UPUA’s 12th Assembly adjourned for the final time last Wednesday, closing a term led by President Katie Jordan and Vice President Alex Shockley. The pair began with an ambitions platform and accomplished many of the outlined goals, setting others yet to come up for future success. Though their term was not without criticism, the Jordan-Shockley ticket elevated the student voice at Penn State and did all in their power to better student life over the past year. The pair’s forthcoming graduation now leaves room for another duo to impact the lives of Penn State students.

Only one executive ticket seeks election to lead UPUA’s 13th Assembly — junior Cody Heaton for president and sophomore Laura McKinney for vice president. Our staff met with Heaton and McKinney soon after the campaigning season opened to discuss the ticket’s motivations and platform initiatives.

Though the ticket’s platform at first glance is not as expansive as in previous years, we were impressed by Heaton and McKinney’s ability to balance more quickly achievable initiatives, like implementing more portable charger systems on campus, with longer-term idealist goals, like eliminating paid homework services. It’s been said Faculty Senate is the most difficult group on campus for students to work with, and we admire the ticket’s dauntless effort to make strides in this area anyway.

More specifically, we believe Heaton and McKinney are well-equipped to move UPUA into an era more inclusive of all student voices. They’ve said time and time again they do this for the people, and their platform reflects that, especially with forums and meet & greets to increase UPUA’s accessibility to the average student.

Despite our support, we recognize that no candidate is perfect, and admit our concern especially at the pair’s lack of experience with Penn State’s Board of Trustees. However, Heaton and McKinney have a proven track record of success in nearly every other facet of UPUA, and this will serve them well entering the upcoming year.

We believe Heaton and McKinney have the vision to bring Penn State to a new level, even if their year in office heavily focuses on laying the groundwork for longterm initiatives. For the reasons above, we offer our endorsement to the Heaton-McKinney ticket. At the end of the day, they’re not just our choice — they’re the only choice.

The polls open at 6 a.m. Wednesday, March 28. Remember to vote at vote.psu.edu!

Editor’s note: In the interest of full disclosure, Cody Heaton played little league baseball with Onward State News Editor Steve Connelly.