Staff Editorial: Vote to reverse recent trends

Now is the time of year when student government candidates tack up posters around campus and send out e-mails pledging to alter the Penn alcohol policy or plan class trips if the student body would only vote for them.

But it is clear that in order for the annual election process to work, it needs the cooperation of undergraduates and candidates alike, something that has proven to be hard to come by.

Many students do not know the candidates personally and base their decisions on candidate statements. As is the case every year, some candidates have chosen to make a mockery out of their one opportunity to convince the student body at large that they deserve to be elected.

In a year when five representatives have essentially quit the UA for various reasons, we hoped that candidates would look at this election process as a chance to preach the values of student government at Penn. Some have, while others continue to leave blemishes on this process.

However, respect is a two-way street in student government. Voting numbers have remained reasonably stable -- and low -- over the past several years, a sign of a student body that is apathetic to its leaders. Penn students often complain that student government is ineffective, but by ignoring the candidates' pleas to vote, these students are only compounding the problem.

If you would like student government leaders to take your concerns seriously, you must take the extra minute to vote for the ones who you believe will listen. Those who believe that their Undergraduate Assembly representatives and Class Board officials have not done their job have a responsibility to help select new people to fill these positions.

The student body at large has a responsibility to vote for its representatives, and the candidates have a responsibility to show respect for their constituents. While neither side has held up its end of the bargain in recent years, we hope that this is the year when things change.

For undergraduates, the best way to ensure that you will be shown respect in the future is to vote for the candidates who you believe will make an impact. Find those candidates, and please make your voice heard.

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