Election problems contribute to SA's disconnect with the student body

2/7/13 6:00pm

 

 

With Student Association elections scheduled for Feb. 11-15, the campaigning, debating and persuading that is associated with a democratic election for the university's next president will be noticeably absent this year. Of the nearly 4,000 undergraduates at Rice, only one made and stuck with the decision to run for the position of SA president. 

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Whether because of a poor perception of the SA around campus or widespread apathy toward the campuswide government, this year's presidential election will be uncontested, and students around campus will have no say in who leads them over the next year. This fact is not just an abstract corruption of the democratic ideal, but also a tangible way in which the student body is becoming even less connected to its campuswide government. 

The Thresher wishes future SA President Yoonjin Min the best of luck during her administration; however, it is apparent she will have to contend with a growing disconnect between the SA and the student body. For the SA to have a reasonable ability to tackle campus problems in the future, it will need to establish a way to identify with the students first. 

A part of making students interested in the SA is by allowing them to become invested in candidates during the election season. While the presidential election is uncontested, other positions will be won and lost in close races. Unfortunately, students are more likely to vote for the candidate they are closer to socially than for the candidate deserving to win. A part of the problem is an asymmetry of information. The only publicly available information about candidates is the blurbs and coverage printed in the Thresher and, possibly, supplementary information released by candidates in the form of a website or video. However, those sources offer only a limited amount of information - mostly related to the candidates' promises for their upcoming administration if elected. However, student media and the student body need to be privy to the candidates' histories as well. The SA needs to begin keeping and releasing data regarding candidates' voting history, attendance numbers and other information, such as initiatives introduced to the SA by a candidate. The availability of this data would improve student media's coverage of elections in the future and, as a result, would allow students to more intelligently select the best candidate for the job. 

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