SGA campaign to kick off on Sunday

Author: Jaime Fuller

This week, candidates for Student Government Association (SGA) President and Student Co-Chair of Community Council (SCCOCC) are stumping for students to sign their petitions so they can ask the SGA to accept their candidacy on April 12. After that, candidates have until next Thursday to campaign before the elections April 16 and 17. Last Sunday, current SGA president Hiba Fakhoury '09 gave advice to the seven students interested in running for positions.

"Maybe this is untraditional to say, but it really is a big time commitment and you have to be ready for it," said Fakhoury. "I'm spending 10 to 15 hours a week just e-mailing and meeting with people."

In order to be eligible to run for these two positions, potential candidates must get the name and identification number of 100 students. Signing a petition is not a requirement to vote, and students can sign all the candidates' petitions if they so desire. On April 10, candidates must submit the petitions and their letters of intent, and may start campaigning after their candidacy has been approved at the SGA meeting on Sunday.

From what potential candidates expressed at the informational meeting, the campaign will revolve around issues like the role of the Commons system, making the endowment green through socially responsible investing and increasing communication between the SGA and Community Council.

The role of the Commons system was a consistent theme throughout many of the interested students' ideas for potential platforms. Some believe that the Commons system is futile and mismanaged and should no longer govern residential life, while others believe that the Commons system has untapped potential that should be harnessed by the SGA.

One issue that will likely not appear on any platforms is the promise of multi-use access cards, which are not considered financially feasible in this time of economic difficulty for the College.

Candidates are reimbursed for up to $30 for campaign expenditures, and this amount is also the strict limit of how much candidates can spend during the week of campaigning. Campaigning often includes posters emblazoned with candidates' faces and comical catchphrases, the Facebook groups and residence hall canvassing. Chief of Staff Katie Hylas noted that some campaigning techniques work better than others.

"It seems like people on this campus really enjoy the candy," Hylas said.

Fakhoury offered her own suggestions on how to run an effective campaign.

"You want to get your name out there, but don't be obnoxious," she said. "Find the balance between how much you can get your name out there and how much you bombard people.

In an interview with The Campus, Fakhoury described why she felt she emerged victorious in the midterm elections. Despite the environmentalist ethos pervading the College, which her opponent Tik Root '12 tried to appeal to with his paperless campaign, she feels posters are still the best way to get your name out to the student body.

"I wouldn't switch to paperless," she said. "There is a minimum amount of paper you need to achieve your mission."

Candidates are prohibited from campaigning when voting starts on Thursday, and they cannot set up computers in public areas to encourage people to vote for them. This year, in order to increase turnout, the SGA may set up voting booths outside of dining halls.

If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a run-off election similar to the one last year between Fakhoury and former SGA President Bobby Joe Smith III will be held.

Although Fakhoury has only been SGA president since the beginning of March, when she assumed control after the resignation of Smith due to his violations of the Honor Code and spring semester suspension, she is proud of what she has been able to accomplish in such a compressed term of office. According to her, the time-sensitive nature of the issues she has been forced to address is part of the reason for her success.

"It really wasn't much of a choice," she said. "We could have just not done anything but because we cared about [the issues], it was really helpful."

Issues that will drive the agenda for the rest of the semester include the honor code changes that will be voted on by the campus this week, the SGA Crisis Contest and an attempt to improve transportation services to the airport in Burlington and the city itself.

Fakhoury has enjoyed her experience working with the SGA, and even though she will be working as a software engineer in Burlington after graduation - not a job that typically entails much executive decision-making - she believes her accomplishments as SGA president will be invaluable later in life.

"I love being part of the SGA," Fakhoury said. "It's the best thing ever. I learned a lot of skills, how to talk to people, how to tackle projects, how to improve a place. I'll take that with me wherever I go. It's a very valuable experience and I wish that everyone could be involved."