Continuing with this week’s topic, changes in the Student Body Elections ’10, tonight I talk about changes in the time line for the election.
This is the most obvious change of all. Last year I was elected on February 27th for the following academic year and began formally running the week after returning from winter break. This is much to early because it engulfs all of student government in the elections process and brings the real work of helping students largely to a halt. Pushing elections back until after Spring Break provide several benefits.
- It will allow more work to be accomplished within student government during second semester.
- Candidates will have had two more months to establish themselves as viable for the positions they seek.
- Campaigning will be in warmer weather. (As opposed to -17 F from last year’s start to campaigning)
Later elections also mean a compacted transition period, but a month is plenty of time to accomplish this. All in all, this should have been changed years ago.
