Three hundred fifty-two students turned out to vote in the student government association (SGA) runoff election Monday. That’s about 23 percent of the undergraduate student body—and SGA members are not impressed.
“It was horrible,” said Danette Brickman, associate professor of political science and SGA adviser. “I will say this: I think students just don’t care.”
Brickman said 47 percent of the student body voted in the initial election, which is “on par with the national level.”
Senior Michael Padlo, political science major and SGA election commissioner, said many students were skeptical of SGA when voting on Monday.
“In the 12 hours that I had spent at the Reilly Center (on Monday), I can’t tell you how many people, I would say probably around 20 kids… they said ‘Oh, you’re not going to rig the election? You’re not going to stuff the ballot box are you?’”
Padlo said that some students helped rally their friends to vote Monday, without which voting numbers would have been lower.
“I wonder what student reaction would be like if… somebody said, ‘There’s not enough interest in SGA… we’re just going to abolish it, and that’s it,’” Brickman pondered. “What would happen? Would students then be up in arms? If they would, then they really need to come out now and support SGA.”
mcelfrdh14@bonaventure.edu
