To our Friends at The Justice,

I must admit that we at the New Frontiers Party were quite surprised at the attention provided us ahead of these last elections, by both yourselves, and the Student Union. While we certainly meant no offense to any, nor any kind of rebuke to existing institutions and officeholders, we do offer our polite disagreements to the opinions showcased in Max Feigelson’s September 13 article, “Student Union Candidates Form Political Party for the First Time in a Decade.” We were disappointed that our candidates were not approached for comment, and believe that we could have better explained our intentions pertaining to the future of our community, if afforded such an opportunity.

We recognize and understand the concerns brought forward by Student Union President Peyton Gillespie and Director of Communications Noah Risley. The intention of NFP is not to inject factionalism into, nor assert any kind of supremacy over the affairs of the Student Union or body at large. NFP, as a rule of thumb, avoided establishing overarching policy in order to allow each candidate to assert themselves, and indeed, most did present written platforms in various formats on their Instagram pages ahead of the elections. In truth, the intention was not to bolster a “social club”, as suggested by Director Risley, but to promote and support student involvement early on in the year among people who would otherwise be disinclined to self-involve. We hoped, and continue to hope, to provide a framework to make it easier for those interested to navigate the campaign process.

As platforms came together, it was decided among the candidates that the better policies proposed would be pooled and presented to Student Union officials for advice, adjustment, and consent. Among these policies were meal delivery for students with COVID-19; the creation of an SU Senate seat to represent disabled students (in addition to exploring methods of making the campus more accessible to the same); advocating the out-phasing of single-use plastics; examining the fiscal possibility of installing air conditioning in communal residence areas; expediting the chartering process of a stand-up comedy club; and launching an inquiry (formal or informal) into the working conditions of the dining hall (the importance of the latter two of which were brought directly to our attention by other students). We believe that these issues ought to be discussed even if we are ultimately unable to see them enacted, in order to ensure that the voices of our fellow students are heard.

Through the remainder of the year, and should we be so fortunate, the next few, we hope this involvement-promoting mindset at the core of NFP will continue to spread and flourish. While I personally did not achieve success in my own bid to represent the Class of 2026 in the Senate, I am exceedingly pleased by the successes of those members who did (Mr. Hupart, Mr. Moskovits, Mr. Waters, Mr. Sherma), and indeed, by that of my own former opponent, Ms. Wang. While I intend to pursue SU elected office again in the future, I am at present greatly enthused by the state of the Union, and look forward to what I expect will be a year of great cooperation and efficacy.

Many thanks, much respect, and kindest regards,

Stephen R. Gaughan, Class of 2026

Chairman (1/3 leader) of the New Frontiers Party