WE SAY: It is important to hear what your future SGA has in store.

Besides the fact that the Veritas is hosting it, we think it is crucial for all students—freshmen to seniors—to attend the SGA primary forum this evening.

At 8 p.m. in Spange Parlor, everyone running for next year’s Executive Student Government Association will tell students his or her plans for next year if he or she is elected. Students have the opportunity to hear from the people that will represent them in 2014-15.

The role of SGA is to represent the interests of the student body. Be it to staff, faculty, the administration, or the board of trustees, SGA is your liaison on this campus.

SGA is often instrumental in changing things that students don’t like. No, SGA cannot singlehandedly ask the board of trustees to create a new dormitory on campus, but SGA is supposed to represent your interests as a student.

If you want to see something changed or improved on campus, SGA is the place you go to start a conversation.

The candidates that are running for next year each have a vision. Each of them has an idea of what he or she would like to accomplish.

You will listen to the final candidates give speeches in chapel this week, but these speeches are limited to a couple of minutes. Tonight, each candidate will answer multiple questions over the span of two hours.

You cannot hear everything you want to hear in a two-minute speech, but you may hear everything you want to hear in two hours.

The point of the primary forum is to give you an opportunity to decide who you want to vote for in the primary election on Wednesday, prior to Friday’s final election.

However, everyone hoping to be elected for next year will speak tonight. You get the opportunity tonight to hear from people that will be in the final election as well.

It should be obvious why freshmen, sophomores, and juniors should attend tonight’s forum. Most of you will return to campus next year and will interact with SGA constantly, even if you don’t realize it.

For seniors, there’s a temptation to not attend the forum, as you won’t be on campus next year to see what SGA does. However, you still get to vote in the election, and you should have other students’ best interest in mind.

The primary forum will take place tonight, Monday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m. in Spange Parlor.