One hundred one Student Association Senate candidates vying for 51 Senate seats. Fifty-one senators elected in 10 and a half hours. Twenty-three elections, including four uncontested. Tired of numbers yet? Too bad, here’s another set for you: 1,367 votes cast, 55 shy of the 1,422 from last year.
Student interest in the SA elections would seemingly be declining. However, the number of uncontested seats on the ballot is down this year, an improvement that was applauded by SA President Jon David Cole.
“A lot of the seats are contested this year, which is a good thing because in years past we’ve had a problem with people not being motivated to run for Senate,” Cole said.
Nonetheless, observers must also note that the number of students voting in this election was down, despite the fact that MSU experienced an overall increase in enrollment for the academic year.
What is the holdup then? Why are more people not dragging themselves up The Union stairs to flash their student ID cards and exercise their rights as members of the university’s student body?
As someone who votes religiously, this question baffles me. As a former SA Senate candidate, the answer is not too clear. The answer is found in the fact that some students view the Student Association as a resum?-building machine for Greeks on campus. Some credit might go to the continuing effects of Hurricane Katrina. The fact that the majority of students on campus have no idea what the SA Senate actually does has probably contributed to low turnout, too.
From a small (and very unscientific) poll that I took of my friends and acquaintances, I found the only people who actually showed up on Election Day were those that are members of social sororities and fraternities and those that were showing up to vote for themselves. Thus, the unscientific conclusion that I drew from this is that people just don’t care.
Now that we know the problem, the question is should the SA do anything to rectify the situation? Maybe, maybe not. Like any other organization, the Student Association should not be held responsible when apathetic and uninvolved members are left out of decision-making positions. At the same time, every student who ever steps foot on this campus is automatically a member of the SA, so maybe the burden to increase student involvement should be shifted slightly when membership is mandatory.
At any rate, this issue will be largely forgotten as the days left until Bulldog Bash continues to dwindle. No one will really care who’s in charge of sponsoring the massive street party, just as long as there is one. Or at least that’s what the non-voter has concluded.