QPA not an indicator of leadership skills

One of the most responsible people I have ever met lives right here on campus. He is a… One of the most responsible people I have ever met lives right here on campus. He is a student, a leader, a motivator and a volunteer. He wants nothing more, other than world peace, than to serve and protect our student body on the Student Government Board for the next year.

Too bad he’s not allowed to run.

SGB candidates are required to have a QPA of 2.5 or higher in order to run. My friend, while juggling studies with all his extracurricular activities and saving the world, has managed to attain a 2.47. A miniscule three-hundredths of a point is keeping us from having the most qualified SGB member ever.

Yes, this is an academic institution. And yes, we want our elected officials to be educated. But, are good grades really necessary for good leadership? Does it really matter if somebody messed up an Italian midterm or history paper? If he got a better grade, would he be a better leader? There are more important qualities needed in an elected official, like honesty, passion and focus.

I’m not saying that people with QPAs below 2.5 aren’t smart. Grades cannot be the only way to determine one’s intelligence, as more than one type of intelligence exists.

Some people are better at class; some are better at dealing with people. Some people can memorize equations; others excel at applying common sense towards practical solutions of everyday problems. I don’t think that someone knowing the atomic weight of turbonium or how to conjugate verbs in Latin gives the people any more faith in him to make honest judgments. Sometimes having the other kind of intelligence is more relevant.

Throughout history, great leaders have risen without the aid of formal education. Steven Jobs and Bill Gates, two self-made billionaires in charge of enormously successful companies, didn’t graduate from college. Neither did legendary innovators Henry Ford or Andrew Carnegie. Seven former U.S. presidents, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, never even finished high school. They all had something special that helped them become the great leaders that they were.

Having book intelligence doesn’t automatically make one fit to lead, either. Embattled former president Richard Nixon had an above-average IQ of 155. Current President George W. Bush has the lowest recorded IQ of anyone who has held the office – 91, barely making it into the range of an average adult. But, depending on who you talk to, that fact could be used in support or opposition of my argument. Too much formal intelligence can limit one’s ability to work well with others, possibly alienating them. Cooperation is an important skill for people in office, especially in a system like SGB.

Going even further, maybe there shouldn’t be QPA minimums for anything. What do these numbers really have to do with one’s ability to throw a ball, be a brother or debate? As long as a student is a member of this University and on course to graduate, he should be able to partake in all of its advantages. Academics should be the biggest priority, but it’s these extra things that really make up much of the college experience.

Some may say that people with QPAs lower than 2.5 should be spending their time studying instead of campaigning. While this might be true, it is not our place to tell these responsible adults what to do.

If a candidate feels that he can successfully be both a student and an official, let him try. This decision may end up being a mistake, but if so, it will be one that that person has the right to make and learn from on his own. If one of his potential constituents doesn’t think that he should be there, then there is the option and right to not vote for that candidate. But it’s not fair not even to allow that person to compete.

Whoever made this rule has also made a huge mistake. I do not doubt that the other candidates are qualified, but I still feel that we could be missing out on something special. My friend can’t be the only one being left out. As a student body, we could be missing out on many great leaders – people who never got a chance.

E-mail Sam at Seg23@pitt.edu. And stay in school.