With his ability to communicate honestly and directly, John Paul “J.P.” Primeau from Open People’s Party meets – and exceeds – the requirements to become A.S. president.

With Primeau in charge, there is simply no beating around the bush. The presidential candidate has clearly studied his predecessors and done his homework. With regards to the proposal of a new environmental studies general education requirement, Primeau said he had reviewed the GEs at various institutions and discovered that UCSB has, perhaps, too many already. Primeau said he would rather have environmental studies courses satisfy GE requirements already in existence than to increase the course load for students.

Additionally, Primeau said he had studied technology plans at UCSB and had found that any proposal to create a lock-in fee to expand wireless Internet on campus is a waste of money. According to Primeau, the university has enough funds to eventually cover the costs on its own.

Furthermore, under Primeau’s practical, realistic approach to restructuring Finance Board, all student groups are held equal. More importantly, he proposes restricting the liberal use of “one-time exceptions” that have been used by Finance Board to allocate money for items on campus groups’ requests that are typically barred from funding.

Hassan Naveed also displayed a wide-range of knowledge of issues affecting students inside and outside of campus. As a leader, however, Naveed’s answers lack the depth and insight of Primeau’s and his plans focus far too much on A.S. bureaucracy. Nonetheless, his skills are a valuable asset to the UCSB community.

Meanwhile, although independent candidate Alessandra Baer exhibits good intentions, she lacks experience and concrete goals. She recognizes the need for increased accessibility of A.S. elected officials on campus. However, we fear this is her only issue.

Primeau is the most qualified candidate. His earnest charisma, common sense and strong rapport with administrators inspire confidence in his ability to accomplish his goals.