Dear students of Ball State University,
As you undoubtedly know, the Student Government Association Elections Board was dismissed Wednesday by the SGA Senate - the reason being said was that the Elections Board was biased and had a conflict of interest with a rumored slate.
The Elections Board chairman, Will Garvey, was empowered with the authority to select leaders on campus to generate a strong, non-biased board, which he successfully completed.
After weeks of hard work and dedication to ensure the upcoming election would go off without a hitch, we were approached with an insulting request: We, as a board, were asked to step down, or the Senate would vote on whether or not to dissolve our board. We chose to fight, not because we were supporting a rumored slate, but for the sole reason that we had done nothing wrong - not to mention, we wanted to maintain our integrity and do the "real" honorable thing.
Members of the SGA Senate are also "rumored" to be starting slates. These senators, including Asher Lisec, were the individuals speaking out against our board. It seems they felt threatened that people from their own organization were not on the board. It also seems that if Lisec had her friends and fellow SGA members on the board, she would expect them to oversee the campaigns in her favor.
When the newly removed Elections Board was confirmed by the very senate that dissolved it, all of the members on the board stated their names, majors and affiliations with their respective Greek organizations. There were no questions asked of us by any senators - no eyebrows raised, only a unanimous vote to allow us to oversee the elections process.
Weeks later, brothers from Theta Chi fraternity were rumored to be starting up a slate. The board did not assist them in any way. We strictly followed the SGA Elections Code and made exceptions for nobody - Theta Chi members or not.
But still, the SGA senate voted against us 40-1. That means 40 out of 41 senators who represent you voted elected members out of their positions purely on speculation.
The result of this situation shows the pure lack of individuality among SGA senators. The senate has a history of voting on matters with no discussion.
Kay Bales, dean of student affairs, is quoted as saying: "I've seen ... situations when there are very few questions about a position or an appointment."
This illustrates a clear problem that exists in SGA.
This is now a challenge to you.
If any Ball State University students want to see better things happen within their governing body and on their campus, get involved with SGA.
Become a senator, join a committee or perhaps even put a presidential slate together when the next election comes around.
In any circumstance, one person can make a difference - and we want you to make that difference.
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