With Student Government Association elections scheduled for Feb. 27 and 28, current SGA officers and candidates for the SGA are encouraging students to vote at a higher rate than last year’s 10 percent turnout.
“We represent the student body,” said Chris Huff, the current SGA external vice president, “but with only 10 percent of the student body coming out to vote we don’t really represent the concerns of the entire student body.”
Huff said one of the reasons he thinks students do not generally vote in the elections, is because the students do not think the SGA is important.
“I think one of the issues the student government needs to address is trying to get the word out to students to vote and how much influence the student government can have on the students,” he said. “Decisions that are made because of our direct relation with the administration can directly impact the students and I think students are beginning to see that more and more.”
Kristen Augelli, a junior broadcast journalism major from Austin, said she does not plan to vote in the upcoming SGA elections.
“I don’t really know much about any of the officers running or anything like that so I am not going to vote,” Augelli said. “I know that they (the SGA) are in charge of the student organizations and making the rules on campus, I think, and that’s about it.”
SGA supervisor Kerri Pike said the SGA is a lot more important than most students think.
“The students are actually the chairmen of every fee committee on campus,” she said. “And the president stands on every committee the university has and he meets with administrators on a very regular basis.”
Samantha Simmons, a senior journalism major from The Woodlands, said she will vote in the upcoming elections because of two recent announcements made by the SGA.
“I think every one should vote because the SGA represent Tech and they give us fall breaks and free tuition,” she said.
On Feb. 12 Tech Chancellor Kent Hance unveiled a guaranteed tuition program in front of the Texas House of Representatives Higher Education Committee that would allow incoming freshmen to have their tuition and fees waived for eight semesters, an initiative originally implemented by the SGA.
“Now, the administrators don’t always take the SGA’s advice and take their opinion, but they do have a large say in what goes on,” Pike said.
One of the ways Huff said candidates can get their names out to the students is by speaking to the student organizations.
“We have about 400 student organizations here at Tech,” Huff said. “First and foremost the candidates will contact the organizations’ presidents about talking to the organizations. Other ways include handing out paper work and walking around campus and letting people know what they’re about and what they’re trying to do and what things they want to see changed.”
Pike said the candidates really start working hard the week of elections.
“I know a lot of the senators are planning on speaking to their classes, especially on the day of elections, on the importance of getting out and voting,” she said. “Normally, we will take out an ad in the Toreador on those days encouraging people to vote.”
Pike said she believes the Tech SGA is one of the best in the country.
“They really do play a lot bigger role than most students think, more so than at other universities,” she said. “For example, at UT and at A&M they are more figure heads and they don’t have a lot of input in what goes on on the campus.”