It's that time again -- time to select next year's Undergraduate Student Government (USG) representatives. It's also time for students to find out about the candidates so they can make an informed decision next Wednesday.

With all that is going on in the world right now, USG elections might seem unimportant this year. It isn't. Though students have a lot on their minds, they should take the time to ensure they are well represented next year.

Members of USG are the representatives closest to students. Students, therefore, stand to exert a large amount of influence over how they decide the issues that affect them.

Even in a time of war, students need to be vigilant about using this influence. Instead of complaining about the university, students should be proactive and take this opportunity to elect representatives who will present their concerns to the administration.

To find out about the presidential and vice presidential candidates, students can attend the executive debate from 8 to 9:30 tonight in 110 Wartik and the executive panel discussion from 8 to 10 next Monday night in 102 Thomas. These events will give students the opportunity to learn about the candidates' opinions and hear them explain their platform goals.

There will also be senatorial and executive information sessions in the HUB-Robeson Center on Friday and several "meet the candidates" events are taking place throughout the week in the each residence area commons building.

Besides these events, students also will soon be able to access the executive candidates' platforms on the Web at vote.psu.edu. Simply walking up to one of the many campaign volunteers scattered around campus to ask them about their candidates' goals also is an effective way to get more information.

The campaign period is only a week and a half this year, putting pressure on students to learn about the candidates in a short amount of time. Students need to recognize the time crunch and gather enough information to make an informed decision on election day.