It’s that time of year.
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the sidewalks are covered with chalk promoting the various parties running for next year’s Student Government Association.
At this time last year, if we recall correctly, it was a bit colder outside, there were no birds chirping yet and there was only one party running for SGA.
That was a sad sight to see.
There were only enough people interested in SGA to fill one party, The People’s Party. The only position that had two candidates running was Vice President of Finance.
Not even the position of SGA president was opposed.
It seems, however, that the tides have turned, much to our surprise and delight.
There are two nearly full parties running for next year’s SGA, one partial party and several independents.
The T.O.G.A. Party and Party Rock, the two almost full parties, are the front-runners, making the most noise across campus and drumming up the most support.
Mario Party, which has three candidates on the ballot, isn’t making as big of a splash yet, but they’re still in the running.
There are also two independents vying for the position of SGA president.
A debate will be held Monday at 8 p.m. in Spotts Auditorium, which will give the candidates a chance to express their goals and convince the student population to vote for them.
While we’re still deciding who we believe to be the best candidate, we’re thrilled to see that we have more than one option.
We know that talk of “government” and “elections” can make some students go straight to sleep, sometimes it makes us do the same.
But the fact is, this is important.
The people you vote for are going to be in charge next year. SGA has more power than some students think. The most important thing they control is money. Every single club and organization on this campus gets funding from SGA, including athletics.
Whichever candidates we elect to run our student government next year will be in charge of those purse strings.
Voting begins Wednesday, March 28 at noon and will go until Friday, March 30 at 11:59 p.m.
When you get that email asking you to vote, don’t just delete it.
Vote, and vote wisely.
Pay attention to the candidates.
The T.O.G.A. Party, Party Rock and Mario Party all have Facebook pages, so it’s easy for anyone to find out what they stand for and what they’re promising.
The Rocket will also be covering next week’s debate (which you should attend), and endorsing a presidential candidate, so you can look to us for guidance as well.
Take a little time out of your day to do some research and vote for the candidates you feel would best represent your interests next year.
It’s worth the effort.
