Campaigning needs more than just Facebook

Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

by Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

The time for Student Government elections is coming up in about two weeks. There may be a lack of senators running for a position, but there is also a lack of any signage that encourages people to vote for them.

Last year during the elections there were signs and flyers posted up around the campus. This year everything I have seen so far for this election campaign has been on Facebook. Maybe I am just not looking for them hard enough, but there are not even any flyers posted on the bulletin board. There are also no signs anywhere.

I am not sure if it is a lack of funding or if the candidates are not worried about being elected because there are not enough people running for candidacy, but it feels like there is some laziness as well.

Electronic sources are great in getting the word out into the world and spreading it around, but it is also making people less likely to put in as much effort and time they normally would if they did not have all those resources available to them.

Just because there are Facebook groups and events, Twitter feeds, etc. does not mean that those who are trying to get into an elected position should just wait for an outcome that is inevitable since there is not much competition.

If someone is going to represent me and my school, I would like for them to show a little more initiative than just waiting till election day and sending everyone who joined their group or is following them a message saying, “Hey! Vote for me.”

Student Government needs to review its funding rules

Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

by Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

Student Government gave away a lot of money at its last meeting. Last semester, SG decied it would slow spending because of the financial issues plaguing the state and this semester they are giving away thousands of dollars.

Doesn’t make much sense, does it?

The university administration does not have money, and by extension, has asked all other sections of the university to slow down their spending. While it is maintained that Student Government was not specifically asked to slow spending, they did in order to do their part to help.

If there was no money last semester, then it does not make sense that all of a sudden there is enough money to hand out like candy at Halloween. Even the organizations who did not provided enough information to satisfy the Finance Board appealed and got money for travel or program requests.

One of the organizations even got a couple thousand dollars for black lights. That is a little silly. What is going to happen to those black lights after they have been used for the program? They will go back to SG, and no one will know they are there to be used.  It will be a waste of $2,500.

If SG is going to lay down ground rules for how much needs to be spent, then those rules need to be changed or tweaked if they are going to just hand out money as easily as they did at the last SG meeting.

SG and RHA must work together despite controversy

Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

by Rosie Githinji, Alestle Opinion Editor

In the recent Student Government meetings, there has been a lot of controversy in regards to the new Resident and Commuter Life Senate Committee instated by Student Government.

There are those who are really upset that Student Government wants to have anything to do with this particular issue, mostly because it is not something SG touches on very often. SG is trying to insert itself into a sector they where they do not traditionally have power and do not seem to have paid much attention to in the past.

There are others who agree that it could possibly be a good idea. Even the Resident Housing Association President of Max Orris said he thought it could be a good idea at Friday’s meeting, although he wanted to know more of the committee’s plans.

SG jumped the gun by trying to form a committee without speaking to RHA first. The Senate should have met with the top members of the organization before they voted on forming a new committee.

The only problem with all the controversy is that the committee that is being formed is and ad hoc committee (at least at the moment), which means it will be gone in a few months. There may be a more permanent committee in the future, but that would mean more meetings and adding by-laws and voting on a resolution.

A permanent committee may help lighten the load for those who serve on the RHA board. This is not what RHA or those associated with housing seem to want, though. At least that is not what I thought when I attended the Friday SG meeting where students came to the open forum to speak with the senate, but since the committee is now formed, Student Government and RHA should find a way to work together until the work of the committee is done.