In recent years, the voter turnout in DCGA elections for senators and the president and vice president positions has been dismal. What’s worse, is that Denison students seem to show no interest in running for these important positions. Consider that outgoing President Hannah Frank ’13 ran unopposed last fall, and last spring, only eight students for the Class of 2014 ran for exactly eight senate seats – no competition there.

Debates between the presidential and vice presidential candidates have been sparsely attended in the past, and this semester there was no debate at all. As Denisonians, we recognize our issues on this campus surrounding dining, social culture, alcohol consumption, and Greek life, but sadly, there seems to be little participation in electing those who will be discussing and solving these problems.

This past week, the DCGA table that was open for questions and had physical platforms of the two candidates running to replace President Frank saw few visitors and heard even fewer questions.

[pullquote]When we don’t vote – or worse, when we vote based off arbitrary factors such as name recognition or posters – we risk putting people who do not represent us in these positions of power and influence.[/pullquote]

We want to take this opportunity to alarm this campus about the importance of DCGA and why it is vital to vote for the students who are making many decisions in the name of the student body. First, DCGA is responsible for allocating around one million dollars to campus organizations. Secondly, DCGA nominates and elects students to sit on university councils which make decisions about this community in terms of sustainability, finance, and enrollment – to name a few.

When we don’t vote – or worse, when we vote based off arbitrary factors such as name recognition or posters – we risk putting people who do not represent us in these positions of power and influence. We risk having a president acting as a liaison between the student body and the administration who was not elected by a meaningful sector of the student body. We encourage you to vote, to hold DCGA accountable, and to make your voice heard. It is an obligation we all have to maintain the strengths Denison possesses and to address our weaknesses.

 

*Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board, consisting of the Editor-in- Chief, section editors and assistants.