COLUMN: What you can do to make things happen
It’s February, and you all know what that means at Utah State. Yep, it’s time for ASUSU elections. In a couple of weeks, the campus will be covered in fliers, logos and campaigners knocking on every door they can find.
If you somehow manage to escape that, you’ll be stopped outside on the way to class, or trampled in the Taggart Student Center by candidates, all trying to get your attention, and more importantly, your vote.
In five years at Utah State, this will be the first year that I won’t be directly involved in the elections, either by helping someone’s campaign or running myself. And in that time, things haven’t changed one bit.
At 6 p.m. on the last Tuesday of February, dozens of candidates and their helpers will be set free on the campus, given only a few hours over two days to knock on every door on campus. With the exception of a few doors with stop signs on them, they will each be knocked on once for each candidate running for each position.
They will each have a flier with some type of coupon, candy or some other cute, little gift for your time. Then, the next day a dozen people will write letters to the editor, complaining about how it’s just a popularity contest, how it doesn’t matter who wins because nothing ever changes, and how they’re tired of everyone knocking on their door.
In some ways, all that is true — but it doesn’t have to be.
The truth is some things can’t be changed by the elected officers, but there are a lot of things they can change or improve. They have a lot more power than just picking a theme for Homecoming, or deciding between giving out bagels or doughnuts in the morning for the first week of school.
If you’ve ever gone to see one of the speakers on campus, such as the upcoming visit from Spike Lee; if you’ve ever been to a rally before a sporting event; or if you’ve ever participated in any campus service projects; it’s because of the people in office.
Conversely, if you’ve ever thought that there was nothing to do on campus, or that everything is catered to the majority and there’s never anything different, it’s also because of the people in office.
I’ve seen some things change in the last few years. Five years ago, there weren’t any activities on campus for married students, so when it came time for elections, some married students spoke up about wanting to be included and voted for the candidate who was willing to listen.
Now there are several events a year geared toward the married student population. Anyone who’s ever attended one of those should see the importance in voting.
Many students attend the Poetry & a Beverage activity that’s held every other Saturday night. It used to be every Saturday night. Then, someone took the office who didn’t believe in the activity, and axed it for a year. When elections came around, many students let it be known that they wanted it back, so they voted for the candidate who would bring it back, and it’s been back and going strong for a couple of years.
Anyone who’s ever been to that should also see the difference that can be made. There is a lot more besides just the fun activities. Among other things, the ASUSU officers also make decisions regarding student fees: raising them, lowering them and deciding how to distribute the funds.
The election process itself, however, always turns quickly into a high school popularity contest. For the two weeks of campaigning and voting, the focus isn’t on the issues and authority included in the office. The focus is who can rip off the best logo, give out the best coupon, or wear the stupidest costume. This happens for one reason: It’s what it takes to win.
I know from experience that very few students actually listen to candidates or campaigners at their door. I personally knocked on every door of every dorm (except, of course, the ones with the stop signs), and only a handful of people actually asked me any questions relevant to the office, or even gave me the chance to state my platform and goals. In fact, more than a few students said, “Oh, you’ve got coupons for Graywhale. I’ll vote for you.”
During last year’s election, there was a forum held in the Lundstrom Center, where each candidate was given a minute to speak, and then the floor was opened for students to ask questions of them. There were less than 10 people in attendance who were not part of one of the campaigns, so they do what they need to in order to win.
If you don’t like it, call them on it. When someone knocks on your door dressed like a kangaroo offering you a sucker with his name on it, ask him what it has to do with the job.
Go to an election forum, put them on the spot. Ask questions, get to the point, and more importantly, keep them to the point. Or, you can sit back, accept the candy, throw away the flier, and let the people who fall for the popularity contest vote for the one they think has the best sign. Just don’t complain when they win.
Jason Robey is a senior majoring in public relations. Comments can be sent to jasonr@cc.usu.edu.