2008 Woodie Awards
ASSC Campaigning needs overhaul
Lance Park
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Opinion
Another Associated Students of Solano College (ASSC) election has come and gone, and we have a new president and new student trustee who both ran unopposed. Only 164 students cared enough to vote, and one of the main reasons might be the lack of campaigning.
Really, outside of the 1400 building, did anyone even know about the election? This problem is nagging, and the main cause behind it might be an antiquated or useless set of campaigning rules and a lack of motivation.
According to the ASSC Election code, all the distributing of materials and services relating to campaigning will be attended to by the Election Assembly and all materials like buttons, posters, and flyers have to be approved by the ASSC advisor or an Election Committee member.
Candidates can't use SCC equipment, resources, or SCC employees for the campaigning, and can't reorganize a bulletin board to put their campaign material on it. Have the ASSC even seen half the bulletin boards on campus? You'd be lucky to fit a thumbtack on one without moving something.
Basically the Election Committee has the final say as to whether any campaign material gets put up or not. Add that to the fact that the candidates, who are students, probably have very little free time out of their academics to devote to campaigning anyway, what motivation is there to submit any literature or propaganda? It takes time to design a poster or write up propaganda literature, and frankly schoolwork takes precedence.
You can't use SCC equipment or resources, which is understandable. Every flyer you might print up in the computer lab costs SCC money that goes to up keeping the place. This means any material must be made off-campus and out of your own pocket which, in turn, makes campaigning even less appealing.
Now, the ASSC Proposed budget for 2007-08 slated $500 for administrative expenses for the Election. What if they increased the amount they spent on the election and allocate some of that money towards campaign materials that can be made on campus? They do have an approved $198,937 budget; maybe some money for campaigning would be better than an ugly $22,000 clock? It would certainly help motivate the student candidates.
Really, outside of the 1400 building, did anyone even know about the election? This problem is nagging, and the main cause behind it might be an antiquated or useless set of campaigning rules and a lack of motivation.
According to the ASSC Election code, all the distributing of materials and services relating to campaigning will be attended to by the Election Assembly and all materials like buttons, posters, and flyers have to be approved by the ASSC advisor or an Election Committee member.
Candidates can't use SCC equipment, resources, or SCC employees for the campaigning, and can't reorganize a bulletin board to put their campaign material on it. Have the ASSC even seen half the bulletin boards on campus? You'd be lucky to fit a thumbtack on one without moving something.
Basically the Election Committee has the final say as to whether any campaign material gets put up or not. Add that to the fact that the candidates, who are students, probably have very little free time out of their academics to devote to campaigning anyway, what motivation is there to submit any literature or propaganda? It takes time to design a poster or write up propaganda literature, and frankly schoolwork takes precedence.
You can't use SCC equipment or resources, which is understandable. Every flyer you might print up in the computer lab costs SCC money that goes to up keeping the place. This means any material must be made off-campus and out of your own pocket which, in turn, makes campaigning even less appealing.
Now, the ASSC Proposed budget for 2007-08 slated $500 for administrative expenses for the Election. What if they increased the amount they spent on the election and allocate some of that money towards campaign materials that can be made on campus? They do have an approved $198,937 budget; maybe some money for campaigning would be better than an ugly $22,000 clock? It would certainly help motivate the student candidates.
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