Another MSU student is stepping up to the challenge and running for a government office.
Law student John Knowles announced his candidacy for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives in the 69th District, which includes East Lansing and Williamston. He will be one of the Republican candidates in November's election, when current representative Democrat Gretchen Whitmer's term ends.
He certainly is ambitious.
Knowles is following in the footsteps of other students who've campaigned for government positions.
John Fournier, a political theory and constitutional democracy senior, ran for East Lansing City Council last fall. Although he didn't win, he ran a professional campaign, which showed students can be responsible and serious about local issues.
Still, there's a difference between City Council and the House.
Although having representation is needed in the City Council, in which issues such as the city noise ordinances and the East Village project need student input, a student in state government has a different kind of potential. Funding potential.
Because Knowles could be in the best position to represent MSU, he could focus on making sure the university's concerns are voiced when budget time comes around.
As a student, he should know the effects of rising tuition. And coincidentally, tuition rates are based on how much money the state is giving the university, making it imperative that MSU have strong representation in the House.
However, Knowles will naturally need to look after the concerns of the entire district. Although MSU needs money (badly), many other areas also need funding.
And if he wants to win, he needs to convince voters that he can work for everyone.
Fellow Republican John Currie and Democrats Mark Meadows and Mary Lindemann said they plan to run as well. Meadows is on the East Lansing City Council, and both Currie and Lindemann have previous political experience.
It's tough competition — much like all our student political hopefuls face. But like our other student candidate campaigns, the MSU community has the potential to give Knowles the backing he needs.
That means if you register to vote this time, one of your own could be elected into the House.
Granted, everyone should investigate all candidates and find out what their platform is and what they would do for MSU and the city.
After all, the person who represents us is going to be there for some important decisions.
If he wants the job, Knowles is going to have to prove that much like Fournier, he is more than just a rabble-rousing student. He'll need to show that he cares for both MSU and the surrounding communities.
Most of all, he'll need to show that age doesn't matter and being a student doesn't mean he won't care about the district.
The groundwork has been laid out for students to have a chance in politics. All Knowles needs to do now is build on it with his own experience and convince students to turn out and voice their support.
Work hard and work fast. The race is on.
