Campus Ramps Up for Student Elections

By Matthew Rupel

Election season is heating up as student government hopefuls have spent the week chalking, handing out flyers and meeting students to prepare for Tuesday's elections.

The candidates could be seen last night at Meet the Candidates, an event hosted by Associated Student Government to introduce next year's potential leaders of the school to the student body. Candidates for each office took to the stump to present their platforms to the voters and answer questions.

So far, the campaign is running cleaner and smoother than last year's election, when candidates were disqualified for using illegal tactics such as promoting voting in the Benson Memorial Center and the residence halls.

"There haven't been any infractions so far this year, which is good," said Matthew MacDonald, executive vice president of ASG.

The platforms for the tickets for the president's office cover a number of issuesthat affect student life.

"I have friends who always make sure to use the buddy system when they come home from the library late," said Suzanne Azpeitia, candidate for vice president.

Supporting existing programs like ASG's Safewalk Initiative isn't the only goal the candidates have. Presidential candidate Judith Martinez said that she wants to better tap into Santa Clara's alumni network to bring alumni back for events specifically related to their school experience.

One topic that made its way into most platforms was school spirit. Candidate Benjamin Frazier said that low school spirit is a common complaint at Santa Clara, and a concerted effort can be made to maintain the high level found at freshman orientation throughout the college career.

Voter turnout is expected to be high this year, with a short campaign season. Last year, the election saw 1,624 votes. In 2011 there were only 496 votes; however, there was only one ticket for the president and vice president positions.

Contact Matthew Rupel at mrupel@scu.edu or call (408)-554-4849.