Student Government elections could now involve shot glasses and condoms to increase student involvement.
Members of SG campaigns will now be able to pass out “trinkets” — items worth less than $2 — to prospective voters, the SG Senate vote Wednesday night.
Students campaigning for SG were previously only allowed to hand out paper goods of “no tangible value.”
Senators in favor of the bill argued allowing the trinkets would lead to campaign creativity and increased student interest and voter turnout.
SG voter turnout has suffered in previous elections. Only 620 students voted in the most recent fall elections, and 5,315 voted last spring.
“We want our Student Government campaigns to be more like real campaigns,” said Aaron Caffarel, SG Senate Speaker Pro Tempore.
Those opposed expressed concern of potential abuses and students voting based only on who had the best “trinket.”
SG President J Hudson and Vice President Dani Borel voiced their strong opposition to the bill, and Hudson is expected to veto it.
“I think who offers the best stuff is going to win elections, and that’s not what we want,” Hudson said.
Hudson offered several examples of possible embarrassing uses of the rule, including giving out condoms and shot glasses with the name of a campaign ticket on them.
“We all know we have tickets that just want to poke fun at Student Government,” Hudson said.
Borel said while she agreed campaigns could use more creativity, the bill allows too much freedom that could damage the reputation of SG.
“If you are really gung-ho about this, I urge you to put in some stipulations,” Borel said. “And I guarantee you the [media] is going to love to jump all over it when presidential candidates are handing out crazy stuff.”
SG also passed SGR No. 7, a resolution urging Academic Affairs to no longer allow professors to assign graded work during the concentrated study period, which is the period of Wednesday through Sunday before finals. The resolution will now go before the Faculty Senate.
 
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Contact Frederick Holl at [email protected]