Student government should be an important component of any major university, especially at GW given its location at the seat of the world's most powerful government. There's no argument there: student input in the governing of GW is valuable not only for those who participate, but also for the administration, which receives useful recommendations, and ultimately for the student body as a whole, which stands to benefit from representation.
That said- there is no place for mudslinging described in a recent issue of The Hatchet:
"A senior adviser for Student Association presidential candidate Tarek Al-Hariri admitted yesterday to creating fake campaign Web sites to mock SA Sen. OGIf I had one thing to say to the candidates and their "chiefs of staff" or "campaign managers" it's: Get over yourselves.
Oyiborhoro."
If they weren't so obssessed with their image, they might take time to step back and realize how they've succumbed to the disingenuous, hollow inside-the-beltway political campaign mentality.
Gone are the days of genuine student activism. Instead it seems we've opted for an image centric, smear campaign for our "student elections."
I always thought college students embodied the hope of future, not the partisan manavuering of previous generations.
They've made student elections artificial and, therefore, a waste of my time.
2 comments:
It’s sad and disappointing to see SA candidates/campaign managers run such ugly campaigns. Candidates who would resort to such inappropriate tactics to win makes me concerned for what decisions they’d make in any sort of leadership position, most especially in the role of SA president. With that said, the vast majority of students running for office are not guilty of negative campaign tactics and do deserve fair consideration for your vote. Apathy is far less likely to encourage a good government (student or otherwise) than is going out and voting for the worthwhile candidates.
I think the important thing to keep in mind is the example Nicole Capp set in both last year's campaign and during her term. She ran on ideas and ruled with them also. That said, it's unfortunate that some (not all) candidates have chosen to ignore how positively students have responded to that example.
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