Editorial

Heads You Lose, Tails You Lose

Even on a backwards campus you can expect the voters to make the right decision once an election.

"Losing the election may have closed some doors to me," said the losing ASUO Executive candidate Bill Washburn, "But it opened up some windows." It's a good thing, too. It was starting to smell in here.

So, to summarize the election for the new ASUO President and Vice President, the man with too many extracurricular activities and a questionable running mate lost to the new kids on the block. No matter how many lawn stakes or billboards appeared on campus, it wasn't enough for Washburn-Sunada.

But just when you thought students got hit in the head by Project Vote Smart, you find out that they got stampeded by Project Vote Stupid. The United States Students Association and Oregon Student Public Interest Group won their ballot measures. OSPIRG received $147,000 and USSA received $22,000.

In contrast, KWVA, campus radio, lost every single ballot measure put to the students. The total of their three ballot measures was less than half of what OSPIRG conned the students out of, but evidently students that vote think that groups that export cash off campus are more worthy of student funding than a radio station that provides employment and practical experience to all students on this campus.

Yet another argument in favor of abolishing student voting and student government was in evidence with the final verdicts. Puppet governments beget puppet programs beget puppet voters. It was no small coincidence that national representatives of USSA happened to be making a campus visit during the general elections--they were part of the campaign process.

Likewise Maureen Kirk from both OStatePIRG and OStudentPIRG was on campus at the same time--again as part of the campaign process.

But the voices of the high-paid lobbyists were not unchallenged. For a few hours anonymous posters urging students to vote no on both the USSA and OSPIRG measures were up all over campus. They disappeared early Wednesday morning, the first day of the general elections. Both measures faced no real opposition and had the endorsement of the Elections Board in removing the anonymous signs. It should be no surprise that groups that disregard a student's First Amendment Right of association would also trample on the First Amendment right of expression--even if the expression was a small voice of dissent. Regardless of a lacking opposition, both groups brought out the big guns: salaried, professional lobbyists to advise and campaign. Hardly a fair fight.

But student elections are not fair or democratic. Inevitably, the same sorts of candidates with the same sorts of promises win the elections. Inevitably, campus groups with large organizational and political power win the elections, leaving campus groups that simply do what they are contracted to do--namely, serve students--are left in the dust.

If the process included more than the fourteen percent of students on campus that currently participate in our own Banana Republic, it might be a different story. OSPIRG and USSA would truly have a mandate if they could motivate 40 or 50 percent of the student body to vote. But as it is, we know who votes for these groups--their members, and their members' friends. More people voted for OSPIRG than voted for presidential victors. People who vote do so with an agenda.

And the Elections Board is hardly impartial. Strangely, they supported Washburn/Sunada's monopoly of lawn stakes, without mentioning to any of the candidates except Washburn/Sunada that stakes were available.

Furthermore, the Elections Board held a recount after the elections. Mysteriously, every presidential ticket but one for received more votes. Thirty votes appeared the day after the election causing one to wonder who voted on Friday when the booths were closed to all. Meanwhile, as ballots were being counted, members of the Elections Board expressed resentment toward presidential candidate Chris Kantrowitz for requesting the recount. Small coincidence that it was only the Kantrowitz/Bostic ticket that failed to garnish any votes on Friday.

Finally, the Elections Board has a rule against anonymous fliers. A rule, by the way, that contradicts a Supreme Court ruling that states anonymous fliers are a most sacred and protected form of free speech. After all, the Federalist Papers were published under the name "Publius." Anonymity is a proud American tradition. Evidently, the Elections Board is above the Supreme Court for making such decisions. When they supported OSPIRG's and USSA's removal of the anonymous anti-OSPIRG and anti-USSA fliers, they proved as much.

Next year, someone should consider a referendum to abolish student government, abolish student fees and abolish some students. We'd be better off.