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Printer-Friendly ModeSA election allegations illogical
submitted by Andy Suszek
April 10, 2006 —
I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but last week Mr. Randal Painter wrote a commentary about the string of unopposed Student Association presidential elections - a commentary that not only features faulty logic but also factually incorrect claims. Painter writes that SA elections were delayed because too few candidates originally ran. He is wrong. Elections were delayed because the election commission was unable to circulate the application for Program Board president before the original deadline to apply. Since SA and PB President elections coincide, the commission decided to postpone all elections.
Painter's argument focuses on "the student body's political apathy and SA's failure to engage them." It would be too easy for me to refute this allegation by pointing out the record 27 students who ran for SA this year, so I will focus on the presidential election, which according to Painter has "a lack of competition." Let's consider a situation in which three experienced SA representatives have presidential ambitions. If all three run for president, two will be unable to serve on SA the following year (unless a vacancy is created). In my opinion, three experienced SA reps. working together to lead the organization is far superior to those three competing over president. Why didn't anyone from outside of SA run? I don't know, but if nobody had run against George W. Bush for president, Bush certainly would not have been to blame.
Painter claims I have unfairly taken the spotlight recently. Apparently that means I often appear in the Vanguard. However, I have almost no control over the content of the Vanguard, which is something Painter's own editor would certainly tell him. Perhaps he refers to my picture on the front page after Cupid's Masquerade. However, the current SA President, Emily Hammerbacher, also attended that event. Why wasn't her picture in the paper? Perhaps someone should ask the photographer, because I have no idea.
Finally, Painter criticizes me for the recent objections I made to SVSU's alcohol policy. He calls my suggestions "pandering to constituents." I hope my suggestions were popular. That is my job, after all - to make suggestions students agree with. Within the next few months a group of students and staff will closely scrutinize the alcohol policy, and hopefully we will create some very practical changes. If I shouldn't be starting this type of initiative, I don't know what I should be doing.
Mr. Painter, next time you might try understanding the organizations you write about before criticizing them.
Andy Suszek SA Speaker of the House