Samantha Chaffin

Editor-in-Chief

Throughout most of my time at Idaho State University, I’m happy to say that I’ve had numerous opportunities to get involved on campus and I’ve taken advantage of many of those.

Through clubs and activities, attending sporting and campus events, working on campus and being a part of “The Bengal,” I’ve been able to be thoroughly involved during my time thus far at ISU.

I can say with confidence that my involvement has made all the difference in my college experience.

As a freshman at ISU, I came here unsure of what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be in college and after.

I spent the least amount of time possible on campus and literally went to class and then went home to do homework.

That was the extent of my involvement and I was miserable: college, the supposed best time of my life, was everything but.

I struggled through a math class that discouraged me beyond belief and didn’t make friends or take time to attend events. Needless to say I didn’t even know that we had a student government, let alone that I could vote for them.

Not only was my first semester here miserable but it was difficult.

Even though I was taking less credits than I have taken since then, I can honestly say that my first semester was the hardest semester I’ve had since coming to ISU.

That difficulty wasn’t due to rigorous coursework or a busy schedule but rather the fact that I wasn’t involved and didn’t care about what was happening around me.

Often, I hear those around me expressing concern over their college experience or a lack thereof. More often than not, when students are dealing with and complaining of the latter it is because they are in the same boat I was in during my first semester at ISU.

I hope those of you who are experiencing this or a similar issue, as well as those who are already involved, will take the first step toward getting more involved and making a change in ISU by briefly researching the issues and candidates so you can make your voice heard in the upcoming ASISU elections.

On page three of this issue, you’ll find that the executive ticket candidates running in this year’s elections have written out their platforms to help you make an informed decision about your future representatives.

I encourage you to read these platforms, do some research and maybe even reach out to your candidates for not only President and Vice President but for your college’s senate to find out what you need to know.

Ask questions and decide what’s important to you in an ASISU representative, as the winning candidates will represent you and your needs as a student for the next academic year.

Be proactive in making your own college experience better by speaking up, starting with choosing who will represent you and your needs in the upcoming year.

Voting for ASISU Elections will take place on BengalWeb starting March 18 at 8 a.m. and will remain open until 5 p.m. on March 19.

So do your part and be heard—it only takes a second and getting involved can make all the difference.