Correction added

Student Government elections will take place 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Tuesday in the quad located between the Mary J. Booth library and the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

If the weather conditions cause the polls to relocate, the rain location will be in the Bridge Lounge of the Union.

This year’s candidates for student body president are Levi Bulgar, Bobbie Mitchell, Dominic Capparelli and Eric Hiltner. The candidate for student executive vice president is Eric Wilber. Student vice president for student affairs candidates are Sean Wryobek, Ryan Kerch and Patrick Hood. Candidates for student vice president for business affairs are Tiffany Turner and Kevin Lee. Student vice president of academic affairs candidates are Alison Kostelich, Christopher David Kromphardt and Jackie Alexander.

Five hundred students voted in Spring 2007, said Matt Feely, graduate assistant for student government.

“Their votes truly matter,” he said.

Ceci Brinker, Student Government adviser and director of Student Life, said she believes Student Government plays an important role in representation of student concerns.

“They are the voice and the vote of students and provide that representation through that voice and vote to the administration when it comes to university matters,” Brinker said.

Ed Hotwagner, a freshman history education major, doesn’t know all the candidates but said he is still voting today.

“Yes, I am voting this Monday because I will be able to have a say so in who wins elections,” Hotwagner said.

Spring election’s preliminary plans were in place as early as December 2007. At that time, Student Government organized polling places and work orders, and reviewed rules and regulations. Also, Student Government appointed the person who oversees the polls in the actual election process. In February, a timeline was created to implement the correct days and times of elections and debates.

Campaigning rules are a big concern for Student Government elections.

Candidates cannot campaign within 100 feet of a polling place, and no campaigning material is allowed in the polling places.

Candidates must meet eligibility requirements too.

Candidates must obtain a petition of 25 student signatures endorsing their candidacy and have a cumulative GPA of 2.25 for all positions except the executive vice president, who will serve on theEastern Board of Trustees. That position’s GPA must be 2.50.

There was a controversy in the last spring’s elections.

“Part of the challenge with doing the elections is when you have more than one polling place,” Brinker said.

In previous years they had three to four polling place, and the polling places were understaffed.

“We did have an incident where Student Government didn’t have enough people signed up to work, and they also had people signed up who did not show up work and we had situations where some candidate lost by 5 votes or less,” Brinker said.

Candidates then filed a complaint stating they felt there was a need of a recount or a redo.

Brinker said the candidates went through the challenge of filling the concerns.

To settle this issue this spring, Student Government decided to go with one main polling location for consistency.

Despite the improved changes, some students still will not be voting in the elections.

“I am not voting because I am usually in a hurry whenever I am going past the polling places,” said Samantha Rawlings, a sophomore family and consumer sciences major. “I don’t think it important to vote because the only time that I ever hear about the student Government is when the voting comes along, and I don’t even know anything about the candidates.”

Other students chose to vote because their friends are running for positions.

“I am voting because a few of my fraternity brothers are running in the elections and I am supporting them 100 percent,” said Richard Daniels, a sophomore elementary education major. “I believe every vote counts in any election, and (my) voting for my fraternity brothers gets the Greeks involved outside of Greek life.”

This semester’s elections have four different student parties participating: Campus Action Party, Students Wanting Action Today, the Student United Party and the United Party of Students.

All but SUP are new parties.

Brinker said CAP is independent, making this the first time a student has a one-man party.

Brinker wants all candidates to take their possible positions seriously, she said.

“First, they will have to comitt themselves to do a good job and to recognize the needs, regardless of what party affiliates win, and commit to work for students – not their party or just their platform,” Brinker said.

Brittni Garcia can be reached at 581-7942 or at bmgarcia@eiu.edu.

Student Body President Cole D. Rogers, holds up fliers that encourage students to vote in the Student Government elections in the fall, during the Student Government meeting on Nov. 29 in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Un

(more…)