SGA slate campaigning begins tonight

• SGA nomination convention begins at 7 p.m. tonight.
• Slates will announce their intention to run and members.
• A current slate member hopes elections won’t be as dramatic as earlier years.

Tonight starts the two-week campaign season that Student Government president Chloe Anagnos called “the best of times, the worst of times.”

Candidates for the SGA election will declare their candidacy and slate members at SGA’s nominating convention at 7 p.m. in the Arts and Journalism building room 175. The even the kicks-off the campaign season.

Slates are not allowed to share their intention to run before nominating convention, so whether two, three or more slates will enter the race is unknown.

This year’s election will differ from last year’s campaign as the result of changes to the elections code, which were voted into place Jan. 23.

One of the changes cut the campaign season from three weeks to two weeks.

“Last year it was too stressful to have three weeks. I went from a B to a C in one of my classes,” president Chloe Anagnos said. “I think two weeks will be fine.”

The voter turnout of last year’s election was the largest in Ball State SGA history. A total of 4,985 students voted, almost double the votes in 2012.

Staff members of some of the campaigns solicited votes by presenting students with iPads, asking them to vote. This year, that is prohibited under elections code.

“Last year was the first year we had seen that, and I think it might play into our numbers as far as voting goes this year,” Anagnos said. “I will be intrigued to see how many students vote without candidates asking them to.”

Vice president Alyssa France attributes the voter turnout last year to drama on the campaign trail, involving social media and excessive fines.

She said she hopes SGA can avoid the elections drama but still incentivize voter participation.

“I don’t think there is going to be the drama there was last year,” France said. “Yes, [turnout] could be that big, but it will take more effort to make people aware. People became aware last year because there were bad things going on.”

However, controversies did not stop once the winning slate took office. In September, former president Malachi Randolph resigned after he experienced backlash over derogatory tweets.

Treasurer Kevin Mullaney said what happened with this year’s executive board should challenge the student body to do their research before voting.

He said while it affected the trust of the student body in SGA, it also impacted the executive board.

“It challenges people to do their research and get to know who these people really are, what they’ve done and how passionate are they and is this something they can really accomplish,” he said. “It is something that even to us, we lost trust. It should challenge people to make sure this is something real.”

Nominating convention will take place at 7 p.m. in room 175 of the Arts and Journalism building. Elections will take place Feb. 24 and 25.

Read More

AP: Biden's upcoming graduation speech roils Morehouse College, a center of Black politics and culture

By The Associated Press / 2 days ago

When he gives the commencement address at Morehouse College, President Joe Biden will have his most direct engagement with college students since the start of the Israel-Hamas war at a center of Black politics and culture.

---

Indiana Capital Chronicle: Rokita warns Indiana college officials to guard against campus antisemitism

By Indiana Capital Chronicle / 3 days ago

Attorney General Todd Rokita on Wednesday issued a warning to postsecondary officials: “Hateful antisemitic acts against Jewish students will not be tolerated.”

---

Authors of book “Cold Case Muncie" host event at Muncie Public Library

By Ellie Marker / 4 days ago

True crime journalists and authors Douglas Walker and Keith Roysdon co-wrote a book titled, “Cold Case Muncie.” At the Carnegie Library May 14, the authors shared comments about their findings as well as a Q&A session with the audience.