Sign-ups for the first round of spring Student Union elections were just announced about an hour ago, and I can’t help but think that the time-line they chose doesn’t give students much time to think about running. The mandatory candidates meeting will be held on April 8th, on the second day back from break. If you’re leaving Brandeis tomorrow, that means you get less than one day before break to decide if you want to run, and less than two days after you return. Sure, you have a week-and-a-half vacation to mull it over, but I can’t help but think it’s far more likely for people to put stuff like the Union completely out of their mind.
Getting enough candidates for Union offices has been a major problem in recent election cycles, and by having such a short sign-up period at students’ most distracted times, chances are that a lot of potential candidates might not even realize they’re losing their chance to run. The time-line should be pushed back a few days to allow people to spread the word and discuss running while the campus is full.
The complete e-mail from Union Secretary Diana Aronin is below the fold, including a list of positions up for election.
Interested in making changes at Brandeis? Run for Student Union!
It’s time for the first round of Student Union Spring Election! The positions are as follows:
-President
-Vice President
-Secretary
-Treasurer
-Member of the Union Finance Board (4)
-Racial Minority Finance Board Member
-Representative to the Board of Trustees
-Representative to the Alumni Association
-Representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum CommitteePlease contact those who are currently serving in the position if you have any questions about the particular position.
Sign up outside of the Student Union Office (SCC, room 301)
All those interested, must come to the MANDATORY candidates meeting on April 8th, at 10 pm in the union office. Sign up sheets will be posted until then. If you absolutely cannot attend the meeting, you must contact me BEFORE the meeting.
Thank You,
Diana Aronin
Student Union Secretary
Two things:
1 – WBRS is also stuck with a sort of awkward run because break is exactly during the “four weeks before the end of the semester” that our Constitution defines as election season.
2 – Someone, and I swear it wasn’t me, has already signed me up for F-RHURMS. You saw it here first.
I don’t know that I follow the argument that the break doesn’t count for the purposes of this process.