Peers vouch for Fessehaye/Abell

People who worked with them say the pair make a great team.

By Megan Stroup

Published Nov. 6, 2008

Joe Fessehaye and Lindsey Abell's campaign has received criticism from the other slates for not being experienced enough.

But those who have worked with the Missouri Students Association candidates in professional settings disagree that this makes them unqualified.

John Dobson, general manager at KCOU/88.1FM, where Fessehaye serves as the assistant general manager and chief operator, commended Fessehaye's cooperation skills.

"Joe's one of the most personable people I've ever met," Dobson said. "I've never known him to not get along with anybody."

Dobson said this is important for anyone who wants to work in government.

"I like to think of him as my idea-man," Dobson said of Fessehaye's role at the station. "He has an endless supply of ideas to make the station better."

Dobson also agrees that Fessehaye's lack of MSA experience does not diminish his capacity as a leader.

"His entire life, Joe's been a leader," Dobson said. "He's been in leadership positions since he was in high school."

He cited Fessehaye's year as student body president at Hickman High School and Fessehaye's success in bringing Hickman's school radio station back through working with parents, teachers and student groups.

Fessehaye and Abell have built their campaign on the perception of them as personable people.

Fessehaye said he wants students casting votes next week to think, "This is a student just like me. This is a student who has class just like me, an after-school job just like me, same interests as I do, maybe."

Fessehaye's goal is to be relatable, and he said he wants students to trust he'll do what he says.

"We made sure whatever we are telling the student body, almost promising if you will, can actually be done," Fessehaye said.

Fessehaye said his honesty and lack of hypocrisy would make him an effective leader in the role of MSA president.

"Lindsey's lack of MSA experience is not a reflection of her lack of experience in general," said Kristin Morrison, who took the Chancellor's Leadership Class with Abell last year. "She has the potential to do a phenomenal job."

Morrison also worked with Abell at a country club while in high school. She said she was impressed by Abell's work ethic and that Abell learned how to survive in a fast-paced environment and work in a large team.

"Lindsey was frequently assigned to work parties with notoriously picky members because she always kept them content," Morrison said.

Tanya Behrens, a peer adviser in Abell's learning community in Mark Twain Hall last year, also vouched for Abell's people skills.

While working with Abell as a member of the event committee within the community government, Behrens said Abell was well liked, friendly and played the peacekeeper role, always trying to bring people together to resolve issues.

"She worked well with her peers," Behrens said. "She didn't take a leadership position but always participated and had ideas."

Abell also said she likes the relatable approach to the voters. She said she wants students to remember she's a student, too.

Abell said the key points that would make her an effective leader are that she is fair, understanding and personable. She also said the issue she is most passionate about in the election is the unawareness that the majority of students have about the inner workings of MSA.

She said her biggest accomplishment as an MSA executive officer would be to get more people involved and excited about MSA, and to make their decisions more transparent to the student body.

Fessehaye said the most important thing he could do as MSA president is bring a different mindset.

"At the end of the day, it's not the administrators or curators who voted us in," Fessehaye said. "It's the students, so our administration will be all about the students."