Platforms change, faces change and promises change each year for Student Government elections. One group’s name and promises, however, have been a constant during the SG elections since fall 2000.
“It makes our candidates accountable; it makes our ticket accountable. Every year, we have the same name; people know us and determine whether they like us or not,” said Lee Abbott, Progressive Student Alliance facilitator and one of the group’s original organizers.
PSA, a group running with no presidential candidate this year, is eagerly awaiting Wednesday’s election to see how its small ticket will fare against the larger and more recognized tickets.
The PSA ticket, since its inception, always has focused heavily on social and economic issues and their relation to items on campus.
“It’s about real issues. It’s about taking productive political solutions and applying them to campus life and believing there are productive, political solutions to our University’s problems,” Abbott said.
Abbott said one of PSA’s key platform issues is resolving LSU’s use and selling of apparel that is made in sweatshops.
The University’s support of these products says, “We are okay with paying substandard wages to people who can be paid living wages. We are okay with poor environmental working conditions, and we are okay with exploitation of those workers,” Abbott said.
Abbott thinks the University should look toward manufacturers who do not utilize sweatshop labor.
PSA also is working to improve mass transit on campus. It thinks the current parking situation is adequate but believes real problems arise in the amount of buses in use.
“During the peak ridership hours on both the Greek circuit and the Tigerland circuit, buses are routinely passing up people because there is not enough room on the bus,” Abbott said.
Opposition to the proposed Union fee also is on PSA’s platform. They believe the Union does need repairs, but funds for improvement should come from money earned by the Union. Those funds include money received from Chartwell’s and Barnes and Noble for rented space in the building.
Another serious issue PSA is raising on its ticket is the implementation of rape kits on campus.
A rape kit is used to obtain DNA from rape victims.
PSA thinks even though University statistics suggest rape kits are an unwarranted need, the kits’ presence are needed on campus because most rapes go unreported and no kit is available within a reasonable distance from campus.
Only six students are running on the PSA ticket, and Abbott is confident on his ticket’s ability.
“Being a small ticket gives us the principle that we can say what we want to say, and we will stand up for issues without compromising to get the most votes,” Abbott said.