All In
|| Photo courtesy of Colin’s campaign manager
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College. EST is not endorsing this SBP candidate.
I write this op-ed knowing that it has the potential to stand as the closest thing to an endorsement during this year’s SBP Election. I am not interested in fueling faction, division, and malice—I am just writing what I think I can contribute to the discussion.
With that being said, I am addressing this op-ed, not to those of you who plan to vote for Maddie. I am under no misapprehensions that I can suddenly sway your mind in the final hours of deliberation.
Instead, I am writing to those who find themselves swimming in the same sea of confusion I inhabited during my freshman year. There were three candidates—all upperclassmen who I barely knew. They all sounded competent, and their visions for the school mostly overlapped. Their credentials and speeches blurred together in my mind.
If you are like who I was freshman year, you want indicators that go beyond competence, ideas, and experience. You want to know who Colin is—not just in the halls or at a pancake event or on the debate stage. You want to see his character. I hope, for those who do not know Colin, that I can illuminate this for you.
Before I continue, I will present two caveats. First, this is not a marketing stunt. Colin does not know this is being published. Second, I am by no means an unbiased voice. I have known Colin since Inviso. I cajoled him into friendship freshman year, invading his apartment while he meal prepped or cleaned for room inspections. For the past two years, we have been roommates. He is one of my closest friends, and I daresay I am one of his.
This second caveat, of course, is what gives me a unique perspective. Last year, I watched as he locked himself in his room to plan Churchill events down to the last detail. I watched him devote himself to building relationships with his freshmen that went far beyond the required scope for a Helmsman. I watched his disappointment at losing the Presidential election for the House of Churchill—not merely the commonplace disappointment of a bruised ego, but the sadness of not getting to work with and for the House he loves.
Colin loves King’s as a whole as much or as more as he loves Churchill. He has worked up to sixty hours a week in the summers so he can be here. He lights up when we talk about his vision for the community. He rarely denigrates and continuously praises not just decisions or systems, but individual students, staff, and faculty.
Colin loves the Lord. I could not tell you the number of times I have gotten out of bed to see him sitting on the couch reading Scripture or a four-columned, tiny-print edition of Jonathan Edward’s collected works. He is dedicated to character growth and doctrinal consistency—he hates hypocrisy both in thought and in deed. He challenges me to be rigorous and faithful in my walk with Christ.
Colin cares deeply for his friends. When we negotiated our current roommate arrangement, I introduced him to the illustrious David Hancock. I believe they had spoken to each other less than three times before moving in for Statesmanship. By the time I arrived a few weeks later, they had created inside jokes and a dynamic camaraderie that made me jealous. Colin makes friends quickly and easily and sticks with them.
“I am not interested in fueling faction, division, and malice—I am just writing what I think I can contribute to the discussion.”
Colin is honest. He will speak his mind bluntly, often to my amusement and edification. He will not B.S. you unless he is joking…and if he does, he will acknowledge and laugh when you call him out. He is passionate—do not dare stand in his way during the Great Race or in the final moments of a game of Gaga Ball. He has a relentless thirst for knowledge; last I checked he was in the final pages of reading War and Peace—for fun! He is a powerhouse of industriousness—he rallies House members in a war chant with the same efficacy as he maps out the work schedule for DeVos Hall security or scrubs the grime out of our shower.
In short, Colin goes all in. He exemplifies the commitment, drive, and love for the good that brought me to King’s. I am grateful to be his friend and roommate and would be thrilled to have him as the Student Body President. For you who do not know him, I hope you will consider this brief snapshot just a taste of the strength of character he can bring to the role. Weigh the issues carefully, talk to someone who knows Maddie, rethink the debates—talk to Colin personally, if you can.
To close, I present the words of Marcus Tullius Cicero, great Roman statesman and orator:
“The qualities that are desirable in a person are not the same as those that are praiseworthy…personal gifts of fortune do not in themselves contain any true ground for praise…But virtue…is praiseworthy in itself and is a necessary element in anything that can be praised.”
--De Oratore, Book II