It seemed to some observers (by that I mean “me”) that the embarrassingly low turnout in the SGA presidential race would spur students to get a bit more pumped for the contest for Student Co-Chair of Community Council (SCOCC). That may have happened, but barely. Here are the tallies:
Ray Queliz 271
Janet Rodrigues 248
Kevin Broussard 103
Total 622
Turnout 26%
The count is a bit higher than the 557 votes (23% turnout) for President. Still, the increase might just come down to the fact that one more person ran for SCOCC than for President (meaning one more group of friends was urged to vote).
Fortunately(?), we have one more chance: Since no one ended up with a majority of the votes cast, a runoff will be held between Rodriques and Queliz Thursday.
Kevin Broussard, now out of the running, endorsed Queliz in a message to his Facebook fans:
Both candidates I’m sure would do a great job as Student Co-Chair, but because of the similar issues that Ray and I both ran on, I have decided to endorse him in this run-off. … He really does care about the issues facing the student body … [and is a] consensus-builder.
Which issues, exactly? Queliz’s statement of intent (on his Facebook page) names tight budgets, tight housing, crowded dining halls, and parking. Still, it isn’t completely clear what he plans to do about any of it. Rodrigues’s statement talks about incorporating the concerns of under-represented voices on the Council, but, like Queliz, she leaves doubt about results — what might happen once those voices are heard?
Both candidates seem dedicated and eager to make a difference (just getting 100 signatures to run in the first place takes determination). However, in spite of their noble efforts, the whole situation seems a little murky and vague — how to campaign, what issues it makes sense to campaign for, what power the Community Council really has — and more other uncertainties than I can name.
Should housing draw stay random or not? What concrete steps can be taken to slow the increasing cost of a Midd education? Is the Juice Bar gone forever? There are tons of questions out there. If any of them are going to be answered the way we the students want, by the SCOCC or anyone else, a cycle of apathy caused by lack of understanding caused by apathy needs to be broken. A solid turnout and a few questions would help.
To start with, I’d like to know how the acronym “SCOCC” is supposed to be pronounced — “scotch”? “scosee”? “skoash”?
I have to admit, I didn’t vote for SGA President: the date snuck up on me, and I didn’t feel informed enough to throw in my vote. I won’t let that happen this time.
Once again, the candidates participating in the SCOCC runoff are:
Raymond Queliz, ’11
Janet Rodrigues, ’12
Voting begins Thursday at 5 PM and lasts 24 hours. Votes for SGA Senators will also be taken at this time — more on that later.
(Community Council works with the administration on non-academic affairs, especially housing, For more information on what the Council does, see their member list or the College Handbook.)
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