Dear Editor,
The walkways near the Culp filled up with candidates for the SGA elections handing out everything from candy to the latest assault, noodle soup.
They were throwing some type of perk at you to get you to vote for them. Candidates seem to be counting calories to get votes, but what are they really standing on? Will the calories outweigh them and the ground cave in around them?
I have been a student at ETSU since 1998, I have seen my share of SGA elections. In not one have I ever learned what the candidates believe in, other than them thinking that candy will get a vote from me. Not once have I voted.
I have seen the messes the SGA has gotten into and I have heard the complaints of students.
I know that these elections are not as big a deal as president of the United States, but I also know that these elections should matter to us as students in a big way.
If we ever want to see a change we need to hear who will go the distance to see that these changes take place.
We need to know what the candidate likes other than lollipops. As a voter we should look at the person for what they are willing to do, not by how they portray themselves in a brilliant colored poster or who has the better giveaway.
When the final decision is made, hopefully someone will be tipping the scales with issues and not calories.
Thankfully I will not be here to see what type of actions our new SGA leaders will take.
Don’t vote for the person with the better freebie, even if he or she is your best friend. Find out where they stand and how sturdy the ground is that they are standing on.
I am not trying to get you not to vote, I just want you to know whom you are voting for. Every one of us can make a difference.
The next time you are offered one of the nice freebies, stop and ask, “Why are you running for this particular office?”Let them know that you want the issues to count, not who had the better freebie.
Kristy Smith

Author