Disclosure: The editorial board consists of Jacob Sanchez and Kelsey Acosta. Sanchez is John Wooding’s vice president in College Democrats and Samantha Mendoza is also Sanchez’s resident assistant at Hunt Hall. Mendoza is a copy editor for Hilltop Views.

Across St. Edward’s University, students are talking about one thing: Student Government Association elections.

Many were upset over the editorial board’s decision to endorse Sen. John Wooding for SGA president, and others thought part of the editorial was sexist. This followup is not a condemnation of that backlash, but rather an explanation of some of the context for doing what we did.

We decided to endorse because for far too long students have stayed on the sidelines while a low amount of voters turnout to elect their leaders. Last year only 708 students voted out of 5,330 students. As a campus newspaper whose job is to write about campus issues, the main idea behind publishing this endorsement was to create a conversation on campus. We have succeeded in that regard.

Students are talking about the election, and hopefully this will translate into votes for whichever candidates they think should represent them in SGA.

Endorsing a candidate running for office is a cornerstone for major newspapers. Respected publications, like The New York Times, endorse candidates for president and other offices. The New York Times has endorsed a presidential candidate every election since 1860 when the newspaper endorsed Abraham Lincoln. Smaller newspapers also endorse candidates for local office. The Dallas Morning News just endorsed a candidate in the Republican runoff for state senator. It’s a time-honored tradition.

Hilltop Views has endorsed candidates for SGA president in the past. The most recent endorsements were in 2011 and 2010.

The only proper place for endorsements would be in Hilltop Views’ Viewpoints section, a place designed for writers to freely express their opinion, which is where the editorial can be found. This section is all about civil debate. Dissent is expected if not encouraged. Yet our hope is that these opinions spark civil conversation, rather than personal attacks on writers or others involved.

This editorial or future editorials will not impact the neutral tone of the news section. Our News section will continue to be a place where our reporters uncover relevant student issues, like the dilemma with adjunct professors’ employment or this year’s housing situation in which some incoming freshmen were placed with resident assistants. Such news will continue to be reported in a way that is as neutral as possible.

Acknowledging this, we thought it would benefit everyone to address some of the specific criticisms of the editorial, knowing that all was not as clear as it could have been.

When we used the phrase “good ol’ boys club,” it was in reference to Student Life, not SGA. That statement was directed towards our desire to see student government filled with students not just from the single office of Student Life; we want students from all areas of St. Edward’s to be a part of SGA.

As for the sexism issue, the job of external affairs that the editorial suggested Mendoza try instead of the presidency involves outreach, coordinating events and working with all student organizations. As her resident, Sanchez is familiar with how many organizations and people Mendoza works between on campus as a resident assistant, teaching assistant, co-director of Leading EDGE, Anchors program coordinator and a student orientation leader.

He further believes that her friendly, upbeat personality and approachability would serve her as an asset in a role like external affairs position which involves serving as “a liaison between the Association and all campus organizations … (being) responsible for providing the Association with opportunities to participate in events promoting school spirit and for the events that Student Government sponsors, whether as a liaison to a committee or as a planner of the event,” according to the 2013-2014 SGA government code. The suggestion had nothing to do with her gender, just as as the endorsement for Wooding had nothing to do with his gender.

We encourage readers to look into each campaign and decide for themselves which candidate best represents them. Go engage the candidates, learn about their campaigns and vote.

Endorsements are one of many things that most newspapers do, and they stick by their decisions. We stand by our view.

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