In the scope of presidential elections, the search for the 11th president of ACU has been fairly short and straightforward. We saw no mudslinging campaigns, heard no rousing speeches; in fact, we couldn’t even name any of the candidates.

Unfortunately, this led to many students feeling as though they’d been left out of the process entirely – which, while understandable, is not entirely true.

Officially, the presidential search began May 19, when Dr. Money announced his retirement. Student participation, however, began with an e-mail in August inviting students to participate in a survey of what leadership qualities they were looking for in the next president – only 161 participated.

And that was the end of it, as far as most students were concerned.

The search firm in charge of the process did meet with the Students’ Association Cabinet as representatives of the student body later that month, but after the presidential search prospectus was developed, students were somewhat out of the loop.

Yes, we got e-mails once a month about where the committee was in the process, but at no other time were we asked for our input or told about potential candidates until we were presented with the final two.

Selecting the president of a university is a difficult task; there are many things to consider, and most students are not in a position to judge whether a particular applicant is qualified – American Idol may be a great show, but texting “vote” to ACU-IDOL-01 is not the best way to pick a president.

It is possible the university or the search committee could have made a greater effort to involve students in the later stages of the process, perhaps by placing a second student on the committee or notifying the student body of more than simply the last two finalists.

However, at some point it becomes the students’ responsibility to take advantage of the opportunities they are given to participate. Only 161 students out of a student body of nearly 5,000 responded to the survey. If the prospectus didn’t reflect our opinion, can we blame the process?

As the Board of Trustees considers the finalists, we have another chance to make our voices heard. So, go to the interview session. Talk to the candidates.

And yes, fill out the survey.