SGA Presidential Elections
With the departure of Bobby Joe Smith ’09 from the position of SGA President, a special election will be held starting noon Thursday, March 5th and going to noon, Friday, March 6th. The two candidates for President are: Tik Root ’12 and Hiba Fakhoury ’09.
While I understand the need for a quick election, I think the SGA would be much positioned to slow down this process of an election for SGA President. As of Monday morning, there has yet be an email announcing the election and statements of intent (usually published in The Campus) will barely have time to sink in on Thursday morning before students will be asked to vote on Thursday. My guess is that since this is a mid-semester election for relatively few other offices (brainerd senator, feb senator, etc.) and there will be very limited campaigning, there will be low student voter turnout. That’s not good — it only confirms that no one cares anymore.
While not my idea, the SGA would be much better positioned if it held elections for next year’s president now (serving this semester through the Spring of 2010). While this puts those running from abroad at a disadvantage, the SGA needs someone with a longer-term vision for reforming the SGA as a whole. In fact, that’s why I have a hard time endorsing a candidate for this election. Hiba Fakhoury, a friend and IPE-classmate, deserves her time to attempt to finish the projects she helped start as Chief of Staff to Bobby Joe Smith. That said, as a senior, Hiba is leaving after this semester — there will no continuity from year to year in a time that we need continuity and longer-term vision. Tik Root, a freshman, is in a better position for the long-term development of the SGA but will have a hard time garnering student support with elections this week. Root stands little chance against Hiba’s facebook group network and name recognition regardless of Root’s actual proposals and intent.
The SGA appears to be headed down a road of more of the same. In fact, it’s rushing down that road.
Edit: In an email to all-students, the SGA writes, “Currently there is no one running for the Junior Class Senator position.” Out of how many people in the Junior class, not a single soul ran for senator? I repeat: something big needs to change with the SGA.
Update: Both Tik Root and Hiba Fakhoury have Facebook groups that show their letters of intent!
Dear Ryan,
Thank you for your post. I am happy to talk to you a little bit more about the SGA election process, and our constitution and how that works. In order to change this election to count for next year, a student, a bill needs to be introduced in the senate, passed, then a referendum needs to be held for all students. The time line of this procedure is 4-6 weeks. This of course would waste the SGA’s time, and probably would fail, for one simple reason, all students have the right to run for the president position, and while you might think that it helps with continuity to have a freshman as president, you must not forget that seniors who have dedicated their time to the organization, and who know the ins and outs, will be more beneficial for things to get done. We are working on initiatives now that need to be completed, and I hope you can read our constitution to understand why it’s not that easy.
You can download the SGA constitution here: http://tinyurl.com/sgaconst
That’s actually an outdated version, we have revised it in the fall. However, the amendment of the consitution is still the same for the most part. I am happy to answer questions for anyone interested.
Hiba provides a valid point that 4-6 weeks may be too long to wait without a SGA president. And I realize that it’s not easy to change the constitution of the SGA. But my point remains: there needs to be some structural adjustment to the system. Essentially, to the average student the SGA is not popular, not an authority, not anything. I don’t really care if its a senior or a freshman who pushes for that structural change that reinvigorates the SGA. But it needs to happen and that does take time (far more than 4-6 weeks) which is why I suggest that continuity beyond this semester is an issue at all.
So really, there are two issues: one of the election itself but much more importantly, another that takes on the larger issue of the role of the SGA at Middlebury. And it is the latter that I want to draw attention to.
I understand your point Ryan, and I invite you and all students interested to email the SGA or to attend a meeting, they are open for the student body.
And I guess just to add something, you can have a very qualified president for 2 months, and things get done, and another less qualified for 4 years, and nothing happens. So it’s really just quality not quantity that you want to look for.
If you ask members of the senate, I am sure they would be more than happy to fill you in on more details.
Hiba,
I appreciate the work that you are doing in the administration and with the SGA as a whole, but I am just confused as to what you would be able to accomplish as the SGA president that you wouldn’t be able to as a Chief of Staff. In your statement of intent on your facebook group you note your involvement in the former president’s administration and I am happy with you there. I know you are heavily involved with Bobby Joe, almost so much that you were a tandem in getting things done (like good SGA presidents of past), but the logical progression for me is that you could be the same kind of knowledgeable adviser for the next generation instead of stepping in for a final 2 months.
You have a unique opportunity to offer incredible amount of guidance to someone who offers fresh ideas and a new way of thinking about the SGA. This is a good thing and an incredibly cool opportunity for you. I know very little about your opposition, but from the substance of his letter of intent he is being a lot more specific than you are. Given that and knowing how capable you already have been as a leader I would like to ask you to provide us with a concrete plan for the next two months. Give us goals and how you will accomplish them, or at the very least how you will set someone up to accomplishing them in the near future. I guess my problem is that I don’t see you getting anything substantively done with 8 SGA meetings., but please prove me wrong.
On another note, I must agree with Ryan and say that I am troubled by the lack of publicity about the election and the speed by which the SGA is pushing things along. It is Monday night and there has been nothing aside from a couple facebook groups and this posting about the election. Turnout will indeed be very low and I’m afraid that on a very basic level the election of a senior doesn’t suggest complete confidence in the future of the SGA.
I’m sorry that I have to bring this all up, but I think it is necessary to add to the conversation. For many of us who do care, it will be important to us for you to provide a substantiative plan of the next two months with real and realistic goals. Please prove to us that you would be able to accomplish something greater as the president than as the Chief of Staff. Rumor has it that the cabinet is slowly falling apart, suggesting that it may even be more important to have a strong leader there than as head of the SGA. At the very least, when/if you do win you should consider giving Tik the very courtesy that Bobby Joe gave you by naming you Chief of Staff.
The ball is in your court and we are hoping you use it wisely and with the whole campus (i.e. the three years of students below you) in mind.
Hiba & Tik – Are there other ways for us to read your statements of intent? We may be in the minority, but some of us don’t have Facebook, and I for one would like to be able to read up and think about it a little before voting on Thursday. I agree with many of the previous comments, I think there needs to be more of a discussion and interest from the student body in this election, and better dissemination of information is a good start!
I just created a blog with my Letter of Intent: http://tikroot.blogspot.com/
Also, there is a youtube video with an overview of my opinions at:
I am running a paperless campaign so there will be no handouts, or flyers. Sorry!
I just created a blog with my letter of intent:
http://tikroot.blogspot.com/
Also see my YouTube video, which outline some of my intentions:
I am running a paperless campaign, so unfortunately there will be no posters or handouts. Sorry!
Feel free to stop by one of the dinning halls at meal times. The next few days I will be showing my YouTube video on a projector during meal times.
I just created a blog with my Letter of Intent on it:
http://tikroot.blogspot.com/
Also, see my YouTube video which outlines my basic campaign platform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6WN-wCnPxE
I am running a paperless campaign, so unfortunately, no handouts, posters or flyers! But feel free to stop Atwater during dinner or Ross during lunch where I will be playing my youtube video on a projected screen.
I just created a blog with my Letter of Intent on it:
http://tikroot.blogspot.com/
Also, see my YouTube video which outlines my basic campaign platform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6WN-wCnPxE
I am running a paperless campaign, so unfortunately, no handouts, posters or flyers! But feel free to stop Atwater during dinner or Ross during lunch where I will be playing my youtube video on a projected screen.
Sorry, I am having trouble posting. Here’s what i meant to say:
I just created a blog with my Letter of Intent on it:
http://tikroot.blogspot.com/
Also, see my YouTube video which outlines my basic campaign platform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6WN-wCnPxE
I am running a paperless campaign, so unfortunately, no handouts, posters or flyers! But feel free to stop Atwater during dinner or Ross during lunch where I will be playing my youtube video on a projected screen.
I am having a very hard time responding, but this is what the whole post was supposed to be:
I just created a blog with my Letter of Intent on it: http://tikroot.blogspot.com/
Also, see my YouTube video which outlines my basic campaign platform:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6WN-wCnPxE
I am running a paperless campaign, so unfortunately, no handouts, posters or flyers! But feel free to stop Atwater during dinner or Ross during lunch where I will be playing my youtube video on a projected screen.
In response to Ryans Blog:
Vin Recca and I actually proposed this exact bill to Hiba and SGA advisor Doug Adams. Hiba said that bill was unconstitutional, and then Doug Adams said that the bill could pass, but only through the channels described above: it would have delayed the process by about 4-6 weeks.
I think at this point it is prudent to go ahead with the election as scheduled, because there have already been conflicts with having a President that is also serving on the Community Council.
In Response to a previous comment:
I would just like to say that if I were elected president I think that Hiba would be an amazing chief of staff, and would really look forward to working with her. However, I believe it is time for the next crop of Midd kids to take their shot at making the SGA what it has the potential to be.
From the scattered history of the SGA that I’ve heard, I gather that the SGA disbanded in the 1960’s because it did not have enough support. When is came back in the 70s and 80s it wielded a tremendous amount of power. It even convinced the trustees to disinvest in specific countries that had human rights violations. The main platform of my campaign is that the SGA’s structure and purpose need a drastic reevaluation, which hopefully does not come to its disbanding. I believe it is fruitless to push on, full steam ahead with a clearly broken system. Many bills that are pass now, just got lost in bureaucracy anyway. In my opinion, although the process may be hard, the SGA will come out stronger on the other side.
Thanks for reading.
I dont want to ramble- because i am sure no one cares.
But really, I am sure Hiba will make a great president. However, she is only here for a couple more months– electing her president would be like giving hilary clinton VP- a dog bone to a loser. The only thing that Hiba’s Presidency will do will be to serve as a good booster on her resume.
Lets get Tik (a seemingly very passionate and motivated freshman) in to see what a four year term (if reelected) could do for not just SGA but the whole school
Congratulations to Hiba for winning, but I’m sad she wasn’t able to answer my questions. I don’t think many people are feeling very encouraged though