For a few weeks every year, campus politicos and strategists come out of the woodwork, classmates reveal their political agendas with endorsement buttons on book bags, and best of all, University issues come to the forefront of students' minds.
Yet, in an election season when candidates are using thesauruses to diversify their platforms from the rest, the terrible truth about student elections is revealed. Rather than being a contest about positions on issues and unique visions, the student body president race is a personality contest of barely distinguishable campaigns.
Call me idealistic, but I don't believe student elections are about MTV-inspired videos on candidates' Web sites or candidates hiding behind an army of supporters who don't really know them. Student elections should center on solving campus problems and about candidates realizing their potential as leaders.
Yet, I haven't seen many distinct personalities emerge from the fray nor have the candidates' media campaigns helped. Will the real candidates please stand up?
Surely the incomprehensible write-in candidate Nathan Katzin isn't the only one passionate about the issues.
Rather than being warmed by the election propaganda, I feel bewildered and worse, numb. It's difficult to deconstruct personalities and motives to reveal the real candidates, particularly when their every word is being scripted.
I can only hope the real candidates step aside from their armies for a minute and realize that next year at this time, their likability or popularity will not matter as much as their effectiveness as leaders -- an intangible skill difficult to prove in the campaign.
Frankly, students are not electing a best friend, but the person entrusted with representing students.
When you head to the polls Tuesday, you're going to close your eyes and go with your gut instinct, despite the paraphernalia tossed your way. Good luck in figuring out who you trust in the next 24 hours because the campaigns sure aren't helping.
