Students vote for apathy

Whether it was student apathy or students too busy enjoying a day in the sun -- voter turnout for the Undergraduate Student Government elections was lower than those involved with the election expected.

This year 5,150 students cast their ballot for their new representatives -- 148 fewer voters than the 5,298 voters who went to the polls last year.

"I was disappointed in the voter turnout especially since it was nice weather. I figured more people would be out and about and especially since there was nine candidates," voting and tallying commissioner Laura C. Taylor said. "I was hoping, as (Michael) Landsberg and (Brent) Barbe said in their closing statement at the debate, . . . that more Nelsons and Milhouses would come out and vote."

Though the overall turnout was low, a line of eager voters waited at Findlay Commons to vote before the polls opened at 8 a.m.

"Several students were waiting when the polls opened," said Tara Gerner (freshman-industrial engineering and French).

A large number of voters was also seen in Waring Commons, which had a steady flow of students all morning. But the high number of voters Rob Patterson (senior-engineering) was expecting, would later prove to be wrong.

"It's been high all day," Patterson said. "This is the third year I've been doing this, and so far this is the best turnout I can remember."

The nine tickets on the ballot was something Ron Ondechek (junior-chemical engineering) said should have helped to reach a large number of students.

"I think it was good to get a wide range of opinions on the issues," he said.

And the large number of choices did get Donald Berger (senior-German) to come to the polls. The candidates did a good job of distinguishing their ideas from other tickets, Berger said.

"All the candidates I spoke to did a good job at emphasizing their stance on the issues that were important to me," he said.

The election of the USG president was not the only part of the ballot that brought students out to vote.

"It is important for students to vote, but I don't think the USG president really does that much," Craig Schulz (junior-broadcast journalism) said. "To me it was more important to vote on the other questions on the ballot."

The questions Schulz was referring to were supplementary questions that asked students' opinions on issues ranging from the continuance of the late night HUB, to University President Graham Spanier's role in student-borough affairs and state lobbying for the University.