Our View

It’s that time of year again.
For the next week, as you drive over the “hump” and fade away from the “real world” into the psycho-systematic world that is Southern University, you’ll be greeted by billboards and roadside banners all urging us to do something we hardly ever do…vote! And as you scramble to class trying to make up a semester’s worth of missed quizzes and procrastinated term papers, you’ll be intercepted by a horde of candidates and campaign team members shoving freeze pops and honey buns in your face while slipping 4 X 5 sheets of colorful paper in your hands convincing you why you should vote for them.
Yes people, campaign season is upon us again and we as Southern University students are given another chance to select the students we feel best represent us in the eyes of university administration, faculty and staff as well as the surrounding general public.
And this year, we’re sure things won’t be any different, and the next Student Government Association President and Miss Southern will probably be this campus’ most “popular” students and not the university’s “brightest.”
But in case this year’s election should deal us an unexpected hand like the spring freeze we experienced Easter weekend, we feel there are a few things everyone should consider before casting their ballots on Monday, April 16.
When considering who you’ll pick as next year’s student leaders, you should realize that holding office and positions of leadership at the colligate level should not be weighed by how many friends candidates have on Facebook, who wears the “baddest” dress in the Miss Southern Pageant, who conducts the best second-line in “the back” and most importantly, who is affiliated with which Greek organization.
It’s time we realize, especially for positions which hold such high esteem as Miss Southern and SGA President, that the people we choose are a reflection of us as a student body. When someone outside of this university, who knows nothing about us, meets a student leader of this campus, it’s the image: conversing abilities and presentation he or she exhibits that will shape their opinions about the rest of us.
We shouldn’t base our opinion about who will be the next Miss Southern only by whose body is “bangin'” in the swimsuit, or who has the best hair and complexion. It should be based on which young lady exhibits the qualities and self-esteem that has set the foundation for her evolution into a strong black woman of tomorrow.
The next SGA President shouldn’t be elected because “he or she is everybody’s homeboy/girl” or because one of their displays of tireless dedication is credited to their fulfillment of a lifelong dream to become Greek. We need to select a President that will be well spoken, properly trained and dedicated at being the voice of the students against the power that is university administration.
When studying platforms and listening to catchy campaign slogans, we need to be looking for what the candidate can do for us and our betterment at a pursuit of a higher education and not who has the best lineup for Homecoming and Spring Fest.
We complain all the time we want “this” and university administration is trying to steal “that” from us, but actually we may need to point the finger at ourselves for not ensuring the people we selected into office cared more about us than stipends, clothing allowances and resume boosters.
So as you are consumed by the mayhem and drama that is election season this year, remember…we have the power to deicide how we are perceived in the eyes of others. And we have the power to decide what this university should be doing for us. And that power resides in our decisions on who should be our next leaders of tomorrow.
This isn’t about popularity anymore, it’s about the issues!