Another GM Week has come and gone. Elections are over, and things are returning to normal. While in general voting was down—this year’s election only had a 28.38 percent turnout—some promising trends were apparent.
In the freshman class there was a 50 percent turnout at elections. While it could just have been the desire for mugs, that figure is still a far cry from the 18.42 percent turnout that the Class of 2003 contributed. Turnout for the Classes of 2005 and 2004 were also higher than that of 2003, but lower than that of freshmen.
This trend of active involvement does not stop at voting, however. There were also noticeably more candidates on the freshman ballots than on those for the higher grade levels. Their apparent enthusiasm for student government is something that needs to be respected, and shows a positive turn for student government as a whole. The future looks brighter if more students become directly involved in what is our relation to the administration.
The positive turn the Senate took this past semester is possibly a big step forward for student government. They accomplished a lot, and might possibly have encouraged others to use their voice by getting involved. If this trend continues we may no longer have the apathetic student body that currently defines our school.
