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opinion:
our view
A.S.I.
election turnout was up but still disappointing
The results are in for the Associated Students Inc. general
election and while an increased number of students voted,
the number was still far too low. Out of close to 30,000 students
enrolled at Cal State Long Beach, only 3,910 voted in the
election. This number is up 29 percent from last year and
is a record for the past seven years.
A.S.I. should be
commended for its work at getting out the vote but it is still
disconcerting to see that the very great majority of students
did not take the time to vote.
A little over 10
percent of students voting is not representative of the entire
student body. It is apparent that the majority of students
do not care about who runs their student government or how
the government is run.
Should we be worried?
We think so.
Aside from what
most students think, A.S.I. does a lot for this university
-- whether we know or see it or not.
Most importantly,
A.S.I. allocates all funds that students pay out of their
tuition. Whomever is elected to the top positions are going
to have express discretion over how students' money is spent.
Most students must
really not care where their money is going.
We are now being
faced with a run off election. We again implore all students
to vote between the top candidates. Aside from whatever cynicism
and apathy lies within the student body, it is still extremely
important for students to take control of the future of the
university.
If students are
content with a small minority of their peers representing
them, so be it. But we are certain that more students across
this university really do care about the current state and
the future of CSULB.
The best way for
concerned students to show that they care is to vote in the
run off election on April 16 and 17. The future of Cal State
Long Beach rests in all our hands.
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