By Christina Martin

A group of students (mostly members of “Nonsense”) have created a campaign called “Stop the Vote” in an effort to stop students from voting in the 2008 Student Government Association elections.The students stand on the platform that SGA is “unwilling” to listen to the student body. Maybe SGA was unwilling to listen last night because some of the students there voicing their opinions were students who had graduated. Now, if SGA doesn’t listen to students’ concerns, then why have they created a very successful campaign to “Change Hofstra?”

The students behind “Stop the Vote” feel that their opinion that Pete DiSilvio should be eligible to re-run for SGA President, despite not meeting the GPA requirement, went unheard. They feel that not voting in the elections would help DiSilvio because if no candidate receives more than 300 votes, a new election would have to be held in the Fall semester when, according to “Stop the Vote,” DiSilvio would be eligible to run.

There are several problems with this ideology. First, what makes the students so sure that DiSilvio will be able to bring up his GPA? Second, do they realize that if their plans succeed and DiSilvio is eligible to run, he would have to find a new vice-president, which would create even more dissension in the Senate than there currently is.

I recently resigned from my two-year tenure as a Senator in the SGA because I felt that from the beginning of this year, the organization has been unbalanced, for lack of a better word. The vice-presidential elections held in September ruined the organization for the rest of the year. Bitterness held by students not elected resulted in an attempt to destroy the Senate. Do the students behind “Stop the Vote” really want this to happen? The past few weeks surrounding Pete DiSilvio’s GPA have turned SGA into an organization where no one gets along and where nothing is accomplished. Many students are resentful to DiSilvio for not gracefully stepping down and ending the year in a peaceful manner.

If DiSilvio were to run in September as a result of “Stop the Vote,” the organization would only get worse because the entire summer would drag through and September would start the year with the all the politics and fighting that accompanies an election. I can’t even imagine how much worse things could get as compared to now, but then again, I couldn’t imagine things getting worse when I left and now look at what’s happening.

I urge every student to vote in this year’s Student Government Elections. No matter which ticket you vote for, you should vote – for the sheer matter of preserving democracy and giving students a voice. If you don’t feel that SGA gives students a voice, vote for the ticket that will. Make an attempt to make a difference. It was great that so many people showed up last night to voice their opinions; however, rules are rules. Every member of the SGA knows that they have a responsibility to maintain his or her GPA. Senators did listen last night; however they were also acting in the interests that if they have to keep up their GPA, so should their president. Just because the votes did not reflect the students’ opinions does not mean that their voices were unheard…just look at the 2000 Presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore.

I am asking every student to vote in this year’s presidential election to make your voices heard. If you don’t this year, then next year you will have no right to complain about if your opinions are unnoticed because you chose to remain silent.

————————————-Christina Martin is a sophomore political science/broadcast journalism student. You can email her at [email protected]