More than a month has passed since students at Florida A&M voted for student government positions. As of now, there are still no winners for the positions of president or vice president. FAMU’s Office of Student Activities had decided recently to host a run-off election, but our question is why has it taken so long to get to this point?
Think about it: elections were Feb. 21; today is March 28. We should know who’s going to lead our student government by now. We’re not asking for anything extraordinary, just answers.
The ethics surrounding the elections have been called into question since the beginning. As students, it is essential that we hold all our officials to a higher moral compass. These students have the power to make decisions that will affect the entire student body.
These thoughts have been exacerbated by a myriad of problems and situations that have led to increased speculation about the ethics behind the election. One week before the candidates were technically allowed to campaign, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. hosted a “political party.” Some candidates took advantage of the event.
Students should take charge and demand complete transparency within the student government. When the electoral commission disqualified the Justin McCorvey/Ariana Williams ticket, Marissa West/Michael Jefferson’s stiffest competition, the student body should have been told a clear reason for the disqualification. Student government officials should take it upon themselves to let students know what is happening. In the game of politics, it is very important to keep the constituents happy and well informed.
Another point that needs clarification is the organizational affiliations of the candidates and election workers. Myiah Shows, electoral commissioner for the election, and Marissa West are both Deltas and were on the same line.
This presents a perception of potential bias and given how seriously Greeks take their sisterhood and brotherhood, gives people reason to raise questions.
Shows’ rapid-fire disqualification of West’s opponents seems suspicious and the tight-lipped nature of our student government further lends itself to hard speculation.
The way we see it, our current student government is a perfect representation of our administration. Cronyism has become the norm when it comes to our internal affairs on an administrative level and the practice has seeped into the student government.
Also, let’s not forget the nature the election projected this year. From nicknames to blatant bashing, the candidates proved they can be as repugnant as any other political figure.
This was evident when West accused the McCorvey/Williams ticket of seeking to permit co-ed visitation in the dorms.
She tried piggy-backing off the college pregnancy issue to scare voters from making a decision based on the platforms of each ticket. This may be the way politics run on a national level, but if someone else does it, does that make it OK?
If candidates are this quick to get rid of a friend for a title, how are students supposed to know that those same officials will do what is right and needed? How will students be able to determine whether or not their elected officials will remain loyal to them?
As Rattlers, we demand to know the truth about what is going on in our student government. We all have to attend class, study for tests, and pay tuition. No one should be exempt from the rules and regulations that are meant to be followed by all. SGA is no exception.