Tomorrow, Associated Students will host a public forum featuring upcoming state assembly candidates for the 39th district, George Plescia (R) and Marty Block (D), as well as San Diego State Chair of the Department of Africana Studies, Dr. Shirley Weber, who is running for the 79th District State Senate seat.

Opinion Editor Leonardo Castaneda and I will be moderating the forum and, while we’ll be starting the discussion with our own questions, we’re depending on your input as well. We want to spend the majority of the time fielding questions from students, faculty, staff and anyone else who happens to be in the area.

I know the idea of a public forum on campus isn’t knocking the socks off most students— I’m sure grabbing a beer at La Casita’s before your afternoon class is much more alluring—but these are candidates who really matter. At least one of them represent us in the California State Assembly, which means they’ll have a lot of influence regarding CSU. They’ll dictate which classes we’ll be able to take and how much we pay for them. Beyond that, soon you’ll be graduating and there’s a pretty good chance at least one of these candidates will still be in office, meaning their power and influence might seem a lot more pertinent once you’re trying to make it on your own in this economy.

These candidates are coming directly to you, right in front of Hepner Hall from noon to 1 p.m. Stay informed, especially when the opportunity is being spoon-fed to you. Students have a reputation for being apathetic about politics, which is an easy attitude to take. Sure, the system isn’t ideal; it’s far from being free from corruption, incompetence and partisan pandering, but we’re in it whether we like it or not. Being apathetic only serves tosurrender any influence you may have over the politicians in control. So go, learn something and vote.