For the second consecutive year, a single ticket swept the Student Government Association elections.
On Monday, more than 2,000 Saint Louis University students voted online for next year’s Senate and executive board. When the polls closed, all five executive members of the “Voice for Progress” ticket had secured front-row seats for next year’s SGA meetings.
As anyone with rudimentary math skills can see, these political victories are sound-at least on paper. President-elect Sam Howard trounced her opponent, Jason Potts, receiving three times as many votes. Alex Joyce, Jonathan Perdue, Samantha Moor and Michael Harriss each earned 1,800 votes more than the next most popular candidates.
But there’s a catch: Only Howard had competition. Aside from a few independent senators and a temporary contest for administrative vice president, “Voice for Progress” was the only team in the game.
Last year, two full tickets vied for senate seats. The year before, SGA President Evan Krauss edged out Maria Rozier by only 23 votes in an excruciatingly tight contest. In previous years, as many as five tickets of candidates competed for student government positions. But, as recent as two years ago, SGA elections were a big deal.
Nowadays, a noxious sense of apathy is disseminating from one student to the next, and no one knows where it came from. Senators talk about it as they text message during Wednesday meetings. Students talk about it as they delete the SGA mailer. As soon as SGA and apathy come up together in conversation, the topic changes, and students move on.
SLU’s version of democracy is flawed. Representative democracy presumes a choice between candidates, but when we have no choice, we have no democracy. Students recognize this and try to explain it, but we can’t seem to pull ourselves away from the TV for long enough to analyze the situation. So we label it “apathy” and get back to “Rock of Love II.”
But apathy, when used as an excuse for low turnout, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If freshmen repeatedly hear that SGA is pointless, they will spend four years believing it. When senators themselves denounce SGA, its credibility unravels with its constituents. Admission of apathy invites more apathy.
The facts should help clear up this cloud of disinterest. SGA’s role is vital; there’s no disputing that. It charters student organizations, distributes student funds and represents the student body. If you don’t care about the money-if it’s not yours, or if you’re filthy rich-then at least realize that the free-wheeling, workaday world we’re about to enter requires responsibility, and now is the time to start accepting it.
We are clever, talented, subtly passionate. We have potential, but most of us are sitting on it. We are adults now. These are our lives. This is our government. We must grow up and govern ourselves. Don’t complain; step up and take the helm.
This year’s election results are impressive in theory, but they are trifling in reality.
And that’s a shame, because next year’s line-up has potential. Howard’s platform is extensive, and her attitude is indefatigable. If she has the foresight to delegate duties, rather than try to do everything by herself, Howard will avoid burning out like a cheap light bulb, and her running mates could convert her platform into a reality. If she does her job well, Howard could make senators passionate about creating a community, and senators will infuse students with the same passion.
Building a community that cares-now that would be a legacy.
