I hope that most of us smiled when we realized that our regents had bucked a trend that has saddled higher education for too long and chose a woman to be our next president. I know I did. It is our responsibility, as students, no matter who is our president to hold that person accountable and responsible.

It seems that since I came to the University there have been a series of transitions in the Fleming Administration Building. However, those changes have little to do with the priorities of active students on campus. The University leads the way in a variety of fields; one of those is of course student activism. On campus this year, issues ranging from environmental sustainability, the school's response to hate crimes, fair working conditions, violence against women, affirmative action and the retention and recruitment of under-represented students have all been raised by students. Students have been maintaining the tradition of this University as one dedicated to creating an inclusive and just community. With a new president, it is time for the administration to prove that it is also committed to inclusiveness and justice.

Coleman and the student body will inevitably meet and greet one another so to speak. What is vital is that Coleman puts the time and effort into getting to know her students. At the University, there is constant tension between the University as a great research institution and as a place where 24,000 undergraduate students learn to navigate the world. As an undergraduate, it has been proven repeatedly to me that the administration must be constantly reminded that undergraduate education and the needs and concerns of their students should and must be paramount in their decision-making. I do not know her relationship with the students at the University of Iowa, and I and every other student should be willing and open to building a working and respectful relationship with our new president, but she must show us that our education, in all of its forms, is her top priority.

To do this, students must feel and be empowered. Student concerns must be listened to and acted upon. At the University, an education has never been solely from the classroom. Most students here have benefited by and learned a great deal from work outside of the traditional academic setting. Coleman must respect the actions students take and demand through their work outside of the classroom.

It is of utter importance that Coleman continues to support affirmative action with all the resources this University has at its disposal. However, it is time that we deepen our understanding of how to create an inclusive community. This work can start with Coleman. She must take us one step further in the fight to create an inclusive and inter-cultural environment, must realize the need to invest resources into increased recruitment of under-represented students and must work with student leaders to devise mechanisms and resources for the University to retain under-represented students.

The trend of privatizing public education is ominous today. Budget cuts are forcing institutions to raise already incredibly high tuition rates and are causing universities and colleges to out-source once in house jobs and services. Our finest institutions are relying more and more on private money, a trend that has the potential to seriously undermine the objectives of public education. It was heartening to read this morning that Coleman was an opponent of this trend. Here she must actively fight for increased spending on higher education. We need a president who can stand up for the right of her students to an affordable education. The University has lead the way in the fight for fair working conditions on campuses and around the world. Although Coleman has experience with this issue from the University of Iowa, coming to the University brings new responsibility to take leadership to improve sweatshop conditions around the world because the Michigan logo is the most widely licensed collegiate logo. Coleman must step up to this and all the other challenges, which come from being at the University.

Universities are facing challenges that 20 years ago could not have been anticipated. It is encouraging to see that our University is entrusting a woman to lead us through this time. The University needs a woman that will be committed to creating a community in which the needs of all of its members are respected. I do not know if Coleman is that woman, but I and many other students expect her to be.

Bray is an LSA junior.