Samantha Chaffin
Editor-in-Chief
Anyone who regularly reads my editorial column in “The Bengal” is likely familiar with my favorite thing to write (read: complain) about—the apathy of a large portion of the student body at Idaho State University.
As a traditional college student, one of the most frustrating and mind boggling traits of ISU has been the lack of student involvement across the campus as a whole. Regardless of the fact that there are several clubs and activities that any and every student has the opportunity to be involved with, I still talk with countless students on a daily basis that have no link to ISU outside of their classwork.
As someone who is fairly involved, it is hard for me to fathom what life would be like if all I did was go to class, do homework and work.
My involvement at ISU is what has made my college experience worthwhile, in addition to being the icing on the cake with regard to my resume and useful leadership and career-related experience.
The Associated Students of Idaho State University, or ASISU, includes a student government with representatives from each college at ISU, as well as an executive branch that encompasses a student body president and student body vice president. These representatives have the potential to impact student involvement on campus, as well as to represent the best interests of the students in the colleges they are elected for.
On page three of this issue of “The Bengal,” you can find the platform statements of the two executive ticket candidate sets. Mackenzie Smith and running mate Kitanna Belnap are candidates for the positions of ASISU President and Vice President, respectively. They are competing against the respective presidential and vice presidential candidates Sam Perry and Kourtney McConnell.
In addition to these platform statements, the front page story of this issue details information about voting in elections via BengalWeb as well as opportunities to learn more about candidates through speeches and debates, and through the ASISU elections home page.
The candidates that the student body selects in the upcoming election will represent each and every student reading this for the next academic year. They will be the voice for the students and have the power and ability to bring important issues to light on behalf of their constituents.
In order to do this effectively, it is vital that these representatives are elected by a majority of the student body in a democratic manner. The problem we run across here at Idaho State is that we haven’t had a majority of students place their votes at all for the last several years.
It is in your best interest to do your own research and form your own opinions about the candidates running for seats in the senate and for the candidates running for executive office. Those candidates will be your representatives and your voice in the coming year. They will be able to take a stance on issues from club and activity funding to taking a stand at State Board of Education meetings that deal with tuition increases.
These are things that affect each and every student at ISU, and thus each and every eligible student needs to make their voice heard now in order to be heard through our elected representatives later.
It only takes a few moments—so do some research and make an informed decision. Vote in your student government on March 17 and 18.
