In fact, 5,395 people turned out on election day to vote for those people who will represent them to administrators, students and others.

Was it the sunny, warm weather last Wednesday that appealed to voters? Was it the candidates who made them vote? Was it the bands playing to promote voter turnout that got students' attention?

No matter what it was, the voter turnout increased this year -- up from 4,596 in 1998. And that truly says a lot for students who care about their representatives. It is extremely important for undergraduate students to make a showing at the election polls to pick student representatives who will effectively advocate their voices. More students this year made their picks known.

However, just because an increase has occurred in voter turnout does not mean that all students should be satisfied. At a school of Penn State's size, there should be more than 5,000 or 6,000 people voting in the student government elections each year. The largest voter turnout was only 6,526 students in 1992.

So even though more voters picked representatives for their government, not enough people have made their voices heard. Where were the more than 34,000 students who didn't vote last week? Don't you care about the future of your school? Or, is it just that you don't care if your interests are represented on this campus?

Each and every person needs to care about USG/ARHS/UPAC picks -- these are the people administrators go to when they want to hear student opinion about issues such as tuition, borough housing, etc. So students want someone in office who is in line with their views.

Thus, until voter turnout is in the tens of thousands, we will not have a completely representative government. To those who helped increase voter turnout this year -- great job and keep voting; to those who haven't -- change those habits and vote in the next election.