Fellow students,
This week, the Student Government Association will hold
an election to fill the 25 senate seats that are up for election
in the fall. I would hope that many of you will vote in this
election. I believe this is the most important election in the
short history of the SGA.
At the end of this year, the majority of the leadership, and
those who have been with this organization since its inception
and shortly thereafter, will be graduating and moving
on. This election, by and large, will determine and select an
entire new generation of student body leaders. Your vote will
shape the SGA for years to come, so please use it.
I know many of you wonder what SGA does. The SGA
funds student organizations and is the first point of contact
between the administration and the student body. People
often forget that this organization is still a relatively new
organization, and as it grows and develops, it will take on
more responsibility. In fact, I hope one day it will actually
be the body that directly governs the student body, as it
should be.
These are the people who will fund your organization
or not; these are the people who will speak for and defend
your interests to the administration or not; and soon in the
future, they might be the people who will vote to impose
penalties on you or not. The point is, whatever SGA does
or does not do is dependent on the standard held by you,
the student body.
At the end of the day, no matter how jaded or cynical we
may be about the process, we have the government we choose
(or do not choose). If we don’t choose the right government
for ourselves, then rest assured someone will choose the
right government for themselves. Is that government going
to care about you? Don’t ever let your representative forget
they joined SGA to help you.
Over the next week you will meet many of the people
who are running for the student senate. Take note of them,
ask them questions, demand answers, make an informed
decision, and take five minutes and vote!
Yours truly,
E.J. White