Fewer fliers and candy?
Students will be bombarded with fewer fliers and free candy as the upcoming Associated Students of Utah State University elections commence Wednesday.
Fewer students have applied for this year’s election because of the recent restructuring, said Emily Bott, ASUSU public relations vice president, which eliminated three major offices. Despite lower numbers, with currently 36 candidates running, which is 59 percent less compared with last year’s totals, Bott said she feels confident in the upcoming races.
“I think there are some really qualified candidates that are going to do a really good job,” she said, although adding she was disappointed at first with the small turnout.
Many races are not having primaries because there are only two people running, ASUSU Student Advocate Al Lambert said. Last year, for business senator there were five candidates, currently there are only two, she said. However, Lambert said competition is always healthy.
“When I ran, it made me realize how much I wanted to do it,” she said. “I ran against my next door neighbor, and that was hard. Elections kind of define how important it is to you.”
Bott attributes the lower numbers to the ASUSU’s restructure and date changes. However, the small crowd may be beneficial for the student body.
“The students aren’t going to be mobbed with everyone in their face,” Bott said.
The smaller number of candidates also provides students the opportunity to listen to each candidate’s campaign and vote for the most qualified, Bott said. Students should participate in deciding who will represent the student body, she said, and “I consider ASUSU as the student’s voice.”
Many of the candidates running have been involved with ASUSU previously, Lambert said, which provides them with much needed experience.
The new officers, decided by student votes Wednesday through Friday afternoon, will have the task of trying out the new structure of ASUSU. This year’s candidates understand the restructure, Bott said, and, “It’s good to have some new faces in there to start the new restructuring.” The candidates are faced with new changes and new ideas that they will have to take the lead of, she said.
Although the restructure eliminated three positions, there will be appointed chairs, such as the arts and lectures chair, Lambert said, that students can become involved with. Decisions for the chairs are primarily under the student body officer, she said. For students interested in applying for these positions, Lambert said she encouraged students to look for student lobbiests.
“There are plenty of ways to get involved in student government,” Lambert said, “even if you are not comfortable running.”
Voting will begin Wednesday at noon and will continue until Friday at 12:30 p.m. Students can obtain a ballot by logging on to https://barney.usu.edu/compserv
/ballot.html and entering the required information.
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu