The quad was peppered with students this past Sunday afternoon. Some were sunning themselves; others were un-tagging unflattering photos of themselves from Facebook or catching up with friends. What no one seemed to be doing, however, was talking about this week's Student Government elections.
Campaign banners - the ones that hadn't been torn down, at least - blocked out little squares of sun on the otherwise bright quad, and besides taking care not to sit in their shadow, students didn't seem to be paying much notice.
With an undergraduate student population of 5,870, last year just over 1,000 students voted in the SG elections, according to current SG President Kyle Taylor, a senior in the School of International Service.
"You don't have to vote, right? Because I wasn't planning on voting," said Brittany Walsh, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs. Walsh also didn't recognize Taylor's name as being that of the current SG president. Additionally, Walsh said she hadn't even heard of last week's town hall forum, organized by the Board of Elections. The forum featured a debate between the three presidential candidates, Rob Boisseau, Ashley Mushnick and Joe Vidulich, as reported by The Eagle.
It has been estimated that less than 50 people attended the forum and, according to earlier reporting by The Eagle, most of those present were either already involved with the SG or were affiliated with the campaigns. Walsh said that the town forum was a good idea, but that it must have been poorly publicized. "I would be more interested if people were talking about [the elections]," Walsh said.
According to Taylor, however, the high rate of student disengagement from the electoral process on campus may be due to perceptions that "the SG just attracts people who want to play politics - and that turns students off."
Sarah Fuller, a sophomore in SIS, agreed. "I feel like the general sentiment is that people don't care," Fuller said, "[although], I've heard people talk about the things Kyle Taylor is doing. I think Kyle Taylor is doing a really good job."
As for why she didn't feel invested in the elections, Fuller said, "It doesn't impact my education here that much."
SG representatives do everything from appointing the people who will choose bands and speakers to planning events, as well as acting as student liaisons to the university administration - something students increasingly see as a crucial position in light of recent events regarding former university president Benjamin Ladner and the troubled board of trustees.
However, even when students know about some of the responsibilities that the SG executives deal with, the question can be begged - does it matter? Besides perhaps grossly misspending hundreds of thousands of dollars in student funds and maintaining a luxurious gift closet, how badly could any candidate screw up?
Brittany Boursiquot, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, has chosen her ponies for each race and looks forward to election days. She said that one experience that influenced her to participate was having a conversation with secretarial candidate Carrie Johnson, a freshman in SPA, on the quad. Johnson impressed Boursiquot as a candidate and brought to Boursiquot's attention that although AU's student body is around 65 percent female, women are drastically underrepresented in the
SG.
Voter education - on issues as simple as when voting days are and who can participate - seems to be another hindrance in SG elections eliciting little more than a "huh?" from most students.
Alex Sunshine, a graduate student in SIS and a Graduate Student Council representative, said he wasn't even sure if he could vote (he can't - undergraduates only). He said that he got most of his campaign information from the signs on the quad - and that it wasn't much. Sunshine completed his undergraduate degree at University of Wisconsin, where he said he participated in student elections regularly.
Fuller said she had no idea when the elections are being held.
"I live off campus and I know about it," Boursiquot said. "We know we should do it. We just need to get around to it."
Vote or die, kind of: a how-to guide to SG voting
Who can vote: All undergraduate students, including seniors.
What positions are up for grabs President: Rob Boisseau, Ashley Mushnick*, Joe Vidulich Vice President: Pat McGill*, Katie Myers Secretary: Joe Colarusso, David Gates*, Carrie Johnson Comptroller: Robert Donigian, David Teslicko*
Where to vote: In the privacy of your own living space at my.american.edu.
When to vote: Monday, April 4 Tuesday, April 5 Wednesday, April 6
Why: It only takes a minute! AU students pay for the SG's services and they ought to be accountable to the student body. And, you know, it's a nice break from updating MySpace.
*Candidate endorsed by The Eagle
