It is that time of year. It is election season, a time many on campus eagerly await. And emotions are running high.
This year there are four candidates running for Associated Students president.
At last week’s debate I was interested to hear why each thought they deserve our vote.
I was not impressed, nor was I swayed.
I left the debate disappointed.
Perhaps the position of A.S. president is no longer highly regarded. Cliché answers, sub-par responses and dramatic, seemingly fake personalities graced the stage.
Important questions were answered with ill thought-out responses, yet they received raucous applause that often drowned out the moderators.
Candidates seemed to rely mainly on their large audience and fan base to power them through.
An election shouldn’t be about which candidate has the most friends or is a part of the most organizations. That does not qualify someone as ready to take on the important role of president.
Throughout the entire debate, it was the less popular candidates — the ones with the smallest fan base — that seemed to be giving the most thorough answers.
I would have liked to hear those with the most experience in A.S. talk more about how their presence in A.S. had led to the betterment of student life on campus and more sufficient responses to their mistakes in the past and how they intend to learn from it as president.
I would have liked to hear candidates with such long legacies on campus empathize with indigenous student outrage over the cultural appropriation of the Aztec mascot with as much passion as they have for the protection of Greek life on campus.
Ultimately, this election is more of a popularity contest than an evaluation of the traits that make candidates worthy to serve as president. After all, it is those with the largest friend group with the odds tilted in their favor.
Moving forward, I think it is important that students be more unbiased when choosing whom to vote for. San Diego State deserves leaders who are truly dedicated to serving as the voice for all students and ensuring that our experience here is one that will be beneficial to everyone.
