Voting for next year’s Minnesota Student Association and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly leadership begins Monday, but the Minnesota Daily Editorial Board has chosen not to endorse candidates for either race.

For MSA, the candidates lack substance and differ little from one another. During the All Campus Elections Commission debate last week, the candidates mostly agreed with each other and offered small policy changes that, while good, ignore larger issues facing students at the University of Minnesota.

Presidential candidate Taylor Williams at least mentioned advocating for lower tuition but offered no specifics. Both pairs of candidates said they were running because they want MSA to advocate for students, but there is little evidence that either pair knows what that means.

Two of these students will lead MSA next year, and they need to demonstrate that they want to aggressively advocate for students and take on an administration at a University where a 3.5 percent tuition hike is a 12-year low. They need to demonstrate that running for this position is more than the chance to write another line on their résumé.

For GAPSA, there is only one candidate. In light of the union’s failure, GAPSA should take on a stronger advocacy role.

Occupying a position of power is not enough to be considered a leader. True leadership is exercising that power courageously to serve one’s community. Timid, marginal proposals that fail to address major issues on campus simply don’t cut it.