MANY STUDENTS who vote in elections have no idea who they intend to vote for before logging on to vote. Because of this, many will reason that having organizations endorse candidates is helpful. With organizations endorsing candidates, student voters have a way to distinguish candidates as somehow relating to them and representing their interests. However, endorsing organizations need to do more to be seen as a legitimate way to distinguish candidates in my eyes and the eyes of others.
Most students are oblivious to the fact that the process of endorsing candidates is riddled with underlying pettiness and pointless politics. I am making this statement after my personal experiences with elections and after sharing stories with other candidates -- both those who won and those who lost. If you see the process as I have, you see those in power simply picking those who are to possess power after them. In fact, if you go through the entire endorsement process as a student candidate, you will have approximately 30 students deciding who will have access to thousands and thousands of voters through funding and e-mails. There are less people deciding who will be endorsed than there are those who are specifically elected to represent our interests and concerns in Student Council. I feel that we have a problem that needs to be addressed.
Many students will claim that the system is very fair and the best candidate ends up winning. This may be the case. However, as a student who has been involved in three elections here at the University (two victories and a loss), I can promise you that there is a problem. This problem is the typical overarching problem that seems to be taking hold of our society -- it is becoming all about who you know and not about what you know. This is indeed a sad scenario, and it is something that we can all avoid if we are aware of the problem and its repercussions.
The consequences of such biased and unfair behavior include the emotional pain of those who are judged as being somehow flawed and incapable of a position compared to another as well as the consequence of the victimization of our basic values that our country was founded upon. Both equality and freedom are victimized when those in power discriminate those below them. Equality is lost and the freedom of the opportunity to achieve is lost by creating a barrier where one is not fair or necessary. I caution anyone in a position of leadership who exerts unfair practices upon others and operates with a closed mind: You will never reach your true potential without fair treatment of others.
To help the endorsing process become more legitimate in my eyes and the eyes of others, I propose that endorsing organizations state in writing why they endorse a particular candidate (similar to The Cavalier Daily). This will help make the process more transparent and may serve to help endorsing organizations think twice about who they are going to endorse. Perhaps these organizations should only do this for more hotly contested elections because of the amount of candidates, and perhaps specific examples from the interviews and their information packets should be used to help strengthen their arguments. The aim here is to help cleanse the system of petty politics that are clearly present.
Despite this necessary negativity, I am very happy to see student self-governance here at the University in a healthy state. Student self-governance like that of Mr. Jefferson's University does not exist at other schools and the fact that students here have such accessibility to our political system is simply astonishing. Endorsing organizations deserve a hand for sitting through hours of interviews and making some tough decisions. The people who are involved in these organizations are some of the most outstanding individuals I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Their work ethic and dedication to the University should be commended, and I respect all that they do.
However, we must all keep a focus on ethical and fair behavior that is transparent and right. We must all strive to keep personal preferences away from decisions that will affect the lives of numerous students. Please make the endorsement process more transparent by stating why you are endorsing a particular candidate. This will benefit all voters, the candidates themselves, and most importantly, the value of honor that we hold so close.
Thomas A. Gibson, IV is a Student Council representative for the College of Arts and Sciences.
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