The students have spoken and new leaders will soon be in office.

We hope the voters made the right decision.

With an ongoing battle for relevancy and the struggle the do what their jobs ask them to, the challenges are abound for the new student trustee and Undergraduate Student Government president.

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But they also have the prime opportunity to enact change.

The DAILY EGYPTIAN this week allowed student government candidates to tell us what they think the campus’ main issues are.

Now, it’s our turn.

Out of both positions, we want outspoken leaders who are not afraid to step into the spotlight.

We want a president who will grab USG by the horns, whip it into shape and make a loud proclamation that makes the administration aware the student voice will be heard.

USG by its very structure is meant to be powerless, except for its responsibility to shell out dollars to student groups every spring. As a constituency head, USG does little more than put opinions on paper.

But there’s more that can be done than passing resolutions every other Wednesday.

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Rallies can be held. Informational sessions can be held. Senators and the USG president can try to shake the hand and talk to every undergraduate student on campus.

It seems like a far-fetched idea, but people do amazing things every day.

Last we checked, students outnumber administrators at SIUC. With a big enough force of students rallied around a certain issue, the higher ups will have to listen sometime.

Out of the student trustee, we want someone who will not submit to the Board of Trustees’ groupthink and politics. This campus needs someone who will speak out during trustee meetings on the issues that matter most to this campus.

If marketing stinks, the student trustee should not be afraid to say so. If there’s a beef that students have, the student trustee should be the one to take that to the board.

BOT members should be concerned about the vote of the student trustee and worry when the student takes the microphone.

We heard a lot from candidates about how the cost of higher education is the No. 1 issue.

As long as enrollment slips and the cost of running a university rises, fees will increase.

Since the costs can’t be lowered, retention and enrollment must be raised.

We won’t ask the newly elected student leaders to go out and promote the university to high school students. But, we will ask them to help keep students here.

Actions as simple as passing out bags of popcorn between classes or handing out cheap plastic ponchos on rainy days would let students know that their student government cares about them. Such things would also provide the perfect opportunity for leaders to communicate with their constituents.

Both USG president and student trustee positions have been relatively ineffective the past few years.

We’re holding out for a change.