In the midst of spring break, finalizing study abroad plans, and applying for summer internships, another annual AU tradition has snuck up on us: student government elections. Being at one of the most politically active campuses in the country, any election is bound to cause drama and craziness, but student government elections take the cake. In case you’ve managed to avoid all human interaction this week, here are some signs that it’s officially election season.
1. You wake up to half a dozen Facebook notifications inviting you to like campaign pages.
All of a sudden you’re being invited to ‘like’ a dozen different pages promoting your peers for President, Vice President, Secretary, and Comptroller. Maybe you’ve had a class with a candidate, or one of them lived on your freshmen floor. But in general, you’ve never even heard of these people.
2. You put in extra effort to avoid eye contact with people tabling on the quad.
You thought you were avoiding human interaction before, but this is a whole new level. You’re pretending to take a call, plugging in headphones, or changing your route just so you don’t have to hear another person say they’re passionate about diversity and mental health on campus. Unless they’re giving out food. Then you’ve got time to hear their platform.
3. There are noticeably fewer status and articles shared about the 2016 Presidential Election.
My personal favorite part of SG elections is that for two weeks, it’s as if the 2016 election is no longer happening. Yes, these statuses and articles have now been replaced by SG-related rants and stories, but it’s refreshing not to see another article about how sexist Donald Trump is or why everyone should #FeelTheBern.
4. Your wonky friends are in political overdrive.
Your friends in the School of Public Affairs all seem to be involved with one campaign or another. On top of the Facebook invites, they can’t stop sharing campaign information and exchanging the newest news. Their stress levels are higher than most students’ during finals week, and they look like they haven’t slept in days.
5. The gossip on campus is all about Student Government.
Normally, everyone’s buzzing about TDR sushi, the East Campus construction, or when the Cherry Blossoms will bloom this spring. But for two weeks, it’s all about the drama of SG. Secrets will start to leak out from the inner circles of SG, along with gossip about the candidates and their campaigns. This is where it can get ugly.
6. You find yourself checking The Eagle frequently, getting sucked into the drama, and hating yourself for it.
Who has the newest endorsements? Whose campaigns were suspended? Why are you so engulfed in this? Somehow over the course of the elections, no matter how much you’ve tried to avoid all talk of SG and the different candidates, you’ve become absorbed in it all and there’s no turning back.
Regardless of your opinions on student government or the candidates, don’t forget to vote next week through your AU portal. Your opinion is important, and student government is one of the strongest connections between AU’s administration and the student body. So channel your inner WONK, and cast your votes through your MyAU portal.