Losing respect

After last spring’s IUSA elections and the misconduct that surrounded last week’s Residence Halls Association elections, students are left wondering if student government is truly interested in serving them.

The generally undignified behavior that marked the RHA Elections, in which only 908 students voted, suggests otherwise.  

Rather than proving themselves upstanding citizens and leaders, candidates from both Hoosier Compass and Chuck Norris behaved neglectfully. At least two Hoosier Compass candidates were reported to have violated election policy by appearing within 50 feet of a polling place. One hung up Hoosier Compass posters in violation of Read’s posting policy.

The Chuck Norris presidential candidate, Aaron Collins, has stated that his financial interests are tied to winning the election. While RHA presidents can reasonably expect to be compensated for their labor, publicly acknowledging that his candidacy is in part motivated by the position’s financial attractiveness calls into question Collins’ intent to fully use the RHA presidency to serve students.

RHA President and Elections Commissioner Eric Gibson was involved in last year’s IUSA elections scandal. Gibson, who ran for chief of external on the Kirkwood ticket, received at least one e-mail impermissibly forwarded from the account of rival presidential candidate and current IUSA President Luke Fields.

In its Big Red v. Kirkwood decision, the IUSA Supreme Court ruled that Gibson acted improperly after receiving the message. He and another recipient “failed either to inform appropriate authorities or to address the issue in a reasonable manner.”

As a result, the Supreme Court disqualified Gibson and the entire Kirkwood ticket. Of course, it’s possible that Gibson is a highly ethical individual who simply exercised poor judgment in an isolated case.

Unfortunately, his failure to address past election issues “in a reasonable manner” casts serious public doubt on his ability to coordinate an ethically sound RHA election.

And that’s the biggest tragedy of this year’s RHA elections scandal. Once again, candidates and officials have behaved in such a way that diminishes students’ faith in their government.

We look to the upcoming IUSA elections to chart a new path for student government. More than ever, it is essential that all IUSA tickets behave in an ethical and moral way becoming to future leaders.

The legitimacy of all student government – both IUSA and RHA – depends on it.