Tower Editorial: Can’t Buy Our Love
No matter if you’re a student athlete or not, or if you’re in the Tim and Steph Busch School of Business and Economics or the School of Music, you appreciate free cookies. No matter if you’re a politics, mathematics, studio art, or sociology major, you would definitely take a free cupcake if it were offered. No matter if you’re a commuter or if you live on campus all four years, no matter if you wear Vineyard Vines exclusively or model your closet off Kendall Jenner’s Instagram, we can all agree the best part of SGA elections is the food we get outside the Pryz on the day of the elections.
But, before taking a donut, stack of Oreos, or some ice cream, think about who’s paying for that free food. When someone runs for an SGA position they can spend as much money as they would like in whatever form they would like. Money can be spent on Snapchat filters, food, buttons, stickers, flyers, definitely not bribes, and shirts.
However, the races for SGA shouldn’t be reliant on how much money people can drop on food and flyers (because we all know whoever hands us the most food when walking into the Pryz is who we vote for). If the Board of Elections put a cap on spending for campaigns and had every campaign report their spending, the playing field would be leveled and the race for the SGA board wouldn’t be impacted by how much money candidates have. We’re not suggesting the Board of Elections monitor how nominees’ money is spent, only how much money is spent.
The issue of limited finances is present in the lives of many students at CUA. Many of us have taken out student loans, work part or full time jobs, or have made the decision to live far away from campus and commute in order to pay less for housing. Perhaps these students have a decreased chance of winning an SGA election because they do not have the resources to pay for campaign materials. Just like unlimited money in American politics, unlimited and unregulated spending on these student elections, legislative or executive, must be controlled. Maybe all future candidates should focus on solving the issues on campus rather than passing out treats to entice students to remember their name at the polls.
