Last week's Student Government Association nomination convention was a yo-yo of emotions.
As Student Connection co-campaign manager Frank Hood (also a Daily News columnist currently on a leave of absence for the SGA election) proudly stood and nominated his slate for consideration, a wave of relief was visible on the faces of the students who had spent months planning for that moment.
Then came the next few awkward minutes as election board chairman Cory Schneider beckoned another slate to come forward and legitimize the impending election. The crowd crammed inside the Student Center Pineshelf Room remained silent, essentially ending the SGA race before it ever began. The disappointment and frustration was impossible to ignore, even as the cardigan-clad members of Student Connection celebrated a job well done.
Before I delve too much into the negative, I want to note that Student Connection is by far the best prepared slate that I have seen in my three years at Ball State. They bring an impressive mix of campus experience, level-headed leadership and spirited enthusiasm to the table.
They could be one of the best ever. (For more on that lofty statement, check out next week's column.)
But students still deserve the right to choose their student government, and last Monday once again proved the system needs to be reevaluated.
It's neither productive nor fair to start pointing fingers at who is responsible for the lack of interest in the office this year. But one thing is worth noting: In the current campus climate, an incumbent slate, its staff and the Senate must actively work to generate interest in SGA.
Although Student Connection presidential candidate Matt Whitlock did not want to comment on the work of the current slate, he did suggest that the opportunities SGA presents were not as well advertised as they could have been.
For now, Vice Presidential candidate Whitney Hamblin thinks "the people who have the leadership to run [for the SGA office] are right here."
Looking ahead, Hamblin and her fellow running mates seemed committed to do their part to generate interest in the office.
"Us as individuals are what's going to promote SGA," Ronnie Bell, treasurer candidate, said.
Secretarial candidate Juliana Abercrombie agreed with Bell, adding that it is their job to give a face to SGA and "open doors for leaders we haven't even met yet."
But Whitlock acknowledged that promoting SGA cannot be the slate's responsibility alone.
"As the leaders, we have the platform to have the loudest voice. ... We need to set the precedent," he said. "But you can't rely on four people to push through an organization as large as SGA."
The organization is at an impasse. The past three elections have been tarnished in some way, whether by scandal or by general disinterest. Both Student Connection and the organization as a whole must work to foster future student leaders. By setting the standard, Student Connection can make significant progress in building interest in the office among the student body. Their senators and cabinet will follow suit.
Whitlock said he knows of several current senators who would be good candidates for next year. Student Connection's roots can be traced back to University Coalition's failed bid in last year's SGA election. It's taken them nearly a full year to prepare.
It may seem silly, but work needs to begin soon to prepare the next generation of student leaders for the office.
How exactly can SGA promote itself? That remains to be seen. But resources need to be set aside both to encourage promising senators to run and to recruit student leaders from other areas of campus. Doing nothing is not an option.
We are lucky this year that the sole slate in contention is more than competent. But who's to say that luck won't run out? Next year, perhaps by default, a very powerful student position could fall into inept hands.
That could cripple an organization already struggling with student apathy.
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