Along with an in-person voting option, the class of 2002 can vote for one of three gift options on the Student Central Web site.
"We found that it was a lot easier for students to vote on the Internet," said Reida Lawrence, gift committee chairwoman. "It is not such a long, drawn-out process as voting in person."
Ben Singer, senior class president, said online voting will make the process easier. "We feel that it will boost participation and also will provide us with certified results from the election board."
While seniors may vote online from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. by clicking on the "vote in campus election" button on Student Central, they also have the option of voting in person from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m in Union 208. Voting will take place today and Wednesday.
This year the students have three options for their gift. One is an Unsung Founders memorial, a monument honoring the black men and women who raised the first buildings on campus. The other options are a marquee for Memorial Hall and a need-based scholarship for a senior.
Funding for the gift is raised mainly through donations of the senior class and their families. The class of 2002 has set a campaign goal of $45,000 to $50,000. "The need-based senior scholarship sounds like a wonderful idea," said Frank Scaduto, a senior political science major. "However, I've just been too busy with school to think about it."
Other students expressed similar views, saying the online voting probably would not affect their decision. "I don't think I'm going to vote," said Mary Baldwin, a senior political science major. "It's just not on the top of my priority list."
While many students expressed apathy toward the vote, Singer said some lack of interest is nothing new. "Like any past gift, we have received positive and negative comments," he said. "However, I have received overwhelming support for the unsung heroes monument from an equal amount of black and white students."
Singer also said a lot was done to publicize the vote. He said an e-mail describing each gift idea in detail was sent to every senior. There is no scheduled time for the announcement of the results, but Singer said a formal announcement could come as early as Oct. 12 and will definitely be in before Fall Break.
