Most Lawrence students would not vote for a candidate for national office without knowledge of that candidate’s political stance. Yet many of us were unclear on the stances of our fellow students running in last month’s LUCC elections, and we voted anyway.
LUCC does little to organize the campaign process, leaving most of the initiative to the candidates themselves. LUCC does, however, arrange one formal campaign event – the candidate forum. This year, the event was poorly attended, probably due to overtly insufficient advertising. The publication of candidate statements in The Lawrentian is the other traditional campaign measure. Of the eight candidates running for office, only five submitted statements. Neither the elected president nor vice president was among those five.
LUCC officers represent the student body and what power we have. They preside at the forefront of any formal discussion of student issues and perform vital administrative duties. In addition to filling these requirements, we hope that an officer brings momentum to her position and effects change where needed. LUCC legislation may seem trivial, but it is a starting ground for the way in which Lawrence students will serve as citizens after Lawrence and a model of how we deal with the political sway we are given. The election of the LUCC president and vice president should be based on more than a vague impression of the candidates’ intentions.
We urge next year’s officers and candidates to take more responsibility for the campaign process. We were certainly all aware that the elections were going on and knew who the candidates were, but for many of us that was about as far as our knowledge went. The commitment of all candidates to participate thoughtfully and effectively in the forum and to submit informative statements to The Lawrentian is a necessary foundation for the campaign process. While some candidates may have had their own campaign methods, formal, school-wide measures are necessary in order to ensure that every Lawrence student with open eyes and ears will understand the intentions of those running for LUCC office.
Staff Editorial
