DIGEST ART
Is it because you want to make a change in our school or because it’ll look good on a résumé later. SGA elections are always a very finicky subject. While there are some candidates who genuinely want to make a change for Southern University and advocate for our student body, some candidates run for…not the best reasons. Either because their friends hyped them up too close to the sun, They’ve been in SGA before and the people are just used to them rather than actually doing things, or “It’ll look good that I was in SGA in college”. When you ask yourself “why am I running for this position” can you give an answer? Can you say “I have an idea for our school and here’s the game plan for how I’m going to execute it.”
During campaign season when I asked people “What influences your vote” the response I received is more upwards of “Oh I know them.” or “Oh they had the best free food.” and not “Oh their plan for the school sounds like something I can get behind.” or “They seem like a genuine candidate and would advocate for me and my student body.” Students and Sidechat warriors like to complain about no change in our school and the same issues with housing, administration, no communication but yet when election time comes around to elect the people who would do a good job, people don’t vote accordingly to the point where an SGA position is basically considered a “popularity position” and not who actually has the plan and action needed for change and reform at Southern.
Even for candidates running. Now, I’m not saying anything bad or trying to throw shots at the candidates or whoever decided to run for a position in SGA in the past before, but it’s harder to distinguish and differentiate between who’s running for change and who’s running. After all, they know it’d be an easy sweep because they’re known around campus. Student Government Association is an important extension of our student body for us to be able to bridge the gap between us and the administration but yet we don’t vote like it. Students need to sit down and ask themselves before they run for a position “Am I going to serve my student body” or am I going to use this as an opportunity to just look good later.