By Dylan Benac, SA president

For 90 years, the Students’ Association has been advocating and representing the student body here on the ACU campus. For two of those 90 years, I have had the pleasure to serve in a roll high up in the executive cabinet. In my time as vice president and as president of the Students’ Association, there is one key element that rings true; To be an effective leader, you must make leadership your lifestyle.

When you are in executive office on this campus, your life is under a microscope. Every post, picture and party that you attend is under scrutiny. What you get done in the office can easily be overshadowed by what you do on the weekend. In every meeting that you sit in, the administrators that you work with care just as much about your opinion as they do about your performance in the classroom. Though it may seem like excellence is unattainable, if leadership is made a lifestyle, people begin to take notice.

An interesting dynamic on this campus is what I like to call the water cooler effect. In essence I can have a meeting with an administrator who I have never met, but I can guarantee you that they know who I am and what I’m about. This includes both the good and bad. They have stood around the water cooler and have heard someone speak about me. Though at times this can be frustrating, it proves that being a leader on campus requires you to always be on.

In the next week our University will be selecting the student leadership for the 2014-2015 school year. More than anything, VOTE. Your opinion in this matter is important and your vote matters. (This is coming from a guy who lost an election by one vote his sophomore year). On top of that, make sure that you are educated. What is said in elections isn’t always the truth. You must have your own filter. In the end, effective SA leaders make leadership their lifestyle.

Finally, I leave you with this. A few observations from the desk of the president.

People take you more serious when you wear a suit. Breakfast meetings are the best meetings. Never pass up an opportunity to listen to others. Teams are more important than individuals. You never have enough time.