Spring Break
More than ever, USG needs student input
Megan Lynch
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Commentary
The Undergraduate Student Government spring elections are (almost) over, and how many times have the rules changed? Ten ... 11 ... maybe more? All the changes in the regulations were spiteful technicalities and completely unnecessary. They were just petty ploys to knock out certain candidates, and it just shows that changes need to be made in USG.
On Wednesday, Jason Ortiz and Amanda Stauble were accused of breaking the canvassing rules in the residence halls. The rules changed last semester and made the regulations stricter by limiting the hours from 7-10 p.m., Monday through Wednesday. Any would-be canvasser must apply for a pass for a specific residence hall for a specific time and night. The canvasser must keep the pass the whole time and be escorted by a CA.
In Ortiz and Stauble's case, they were not technically approved canvassers, which is what they have been accused of. However, they were invited guests within the dorm; a friend let them in. Ortiz was talking to the residents about the campaign, but as a guest and not as a canvasser. If USG really wants to get this technical, then what they just said is that no guest is allowed to speak to other members of the residence hall unless they have a canvassing pass.
Regardless of how this election turns out, USG leaders who have had a part in sporadically changing the rules should be ashamed of themselves. There is now even less confidence in the election process than before. USG is already not something most students care about, mostly because they don't know how it works or what it does. Hearing about last-minute changes mid-election is not something students will take seriously. They will either lose interest in following USG all together, or just continue to think the organization is a joke and only good for free T-shirts.
The change in campaign rules mostly affects the candidates, of course. As someone running in this election, it is very hard to actually campaign for fear of being disqualified. The pages and pages of rules are offsetting to the whole process. It is almost not worth it to put all the effort into campaigning just to find out you put a poster in the wrong place or accidentally mentioned Ortiz's name in the Student Union.
On Wednesday, Jason Ortiz and Amanda Stauble were accused of breaking the canvassing rules in the residence halls. The rules changed last semester and made the regulations stricter by limiting the hours from 7-10 p.m., Monday through Wednesday. Any would-be canvasser must apply for a pass for a specific residence hall for a specific time and night. The canvasser must keep the pass the whole time and be escorted by a CA.
In Ortiz and Stauble's case, they were not technically approved canvassers, which is what they have been accused of. However, they were invited guests within the dorm; a friend let them in. Ortiz was talking to the residents about the campaign, but as a guest and not as a canvasser. If USG really wants to get this technical, then what they just said is that no guest is allowed to speak to other members of the residence hall unless they have a canvassing pass.
Regardless of how this election turns out, USG leaders who have had a part in sporadically changing the rules should be ashamed of themselves. There is now even less confidence in the election process than before. USG is already not something most students care about, mostly because they don't know how it works or what it does. Hearing about last-minute changes mid-election is not something students will take seriously. They will either lose interest in following USG all together, or just continue to think the organization is a joke and only good for free T-shirts.
The change in campaign rules mostly affects the candidates, of course. As someone running in this election, it is very hard to actually campaign for fear of being disqualified. The pages and pages of rules are offsetting to the whole process. It is almost not worth it to put all the effort into campaigning just to find out you put a poster in the wrong place or accidentally mentioned Ortiz's name in the Student Union.
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