At the Republican National Convention Aug. 30, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivered arguably the most important speech of his already distinguished life. In 38 minutes and to chants of “USA!,” Romney unexpectedly presented himself as not just a bottom-line corporate executive — as he has tended to do — but as a vulnerable human being. His speech wasn’t perfect by any means, but over the course of one evening, Romney managed to transform himself in the eyes of many from a corporate scapegoat to a legitimate challenger to the presidency. As we welcome new students and greet old ones back to Brown, we encourage everyone to pay especially close attention to the campaign for the two months leading up to the election, a day that could affect the path of our futures after Brown.

Heavily reputed as a politically and socially literate campus, Brown is an ideal environment for facilitating meaningful discussions and debates about the upcoming election. This is extremely pertinent considering the strong biases currently found in the mainstream media, as well as its continual focus on trivial events instead of the issues at hand. We believe students should critically assess both Romney’s and President Barack Obama’s stances on issues such as student loans, health care and job creation. While many will likely side with Obama on social topics such as abortion, rape, gay rights and marijuana legalization, it is less clear which candidate would better serve college graduates with their accumulated student debt and in their search for desirable employment.

With aggregate student loan debt in the U.S. at $914 billion, both Romney and Obama have offered plans to curb rising college expenses. While Obama would extend Pell Grants and make permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit — which provides college students with an annual sum of up to $2,500 — Romney would shift the issue of student loans to private lenders, a method consistent with his ideals of free-market and limited government. During the RNC, Romney also vaguely but confidently promised to create 12 million new jobs if elected president, a statement impressive in delivery, if not in pragmatism. We are not beguiled by rhetoric from either side, but their starkly opposite methods of dealing with rising college expenses begs the question of which method is better.

Of course, popular appeal is an immense factor. While Obama seems like the guy you would want to share a drink with — presumably the White House Honey Ale — Romney is portrayed as stricter and more reserved. (Mormons are discouraged from consuming alcohol, anyway). We Brunonians, however, have to examine this election from a holistic standpoint and critically discern not only which candidate best stands for our ideals and values, but also who can provide the best solution for sound financial and professional futures. This in turn forces the question of what we value more: our ideals or our futures?

We are extremely excited for the months ahead and strongly encourage all students to be active in political discussion and debate, familiarize themselves with each candidate’s platforms and, most importantly, vote for their futures Nov. 6.