"Apathy is a sort of living oblivion." --Horace Greeley

Perhaps more than any other person, except the candidates of course, I have become wrapped up in this current student body election. 

My high level of involvement makes it hard for me to fathom people who aren't even aware of what is going on, or even people who simply don't care. But nothing prepared me for the sheer number of students who choose not to vote.

I spent my entire Wednesday last week in the Sharwan Smith Center Living Room helping people cast their ballots. During that long, long day, I had the opportunity to talk to a diverse mix of SUU students about the election, and gained some valuable insight about reaching out to them. 

It's very important that students have the information available to make educated decisions when they vote. 

Luckily, the Journal published platform information about all candidates, the elections committee is conducting an Executive Council debate today at noon in the Living Room and the candidates are available for questioning all week.

I was not surprised by the uneducated voters or even the voters that didn't care about why polls were set up in the Living Room. It was the students who walked by and talked to me and could rationalize why they weren't going to vote that totally caught me off guard. 

I heard it all that day. "I won't be here next year." "It doesn't even matter." "They'll all do the same thing." 

I hate to sound like a na've government official, but I was not even close to prepared for such responses. 

There are so many reasons why students should vote that I never realized there were so many arguments why someone should not vote. 

Especially so many bad reasons.

I sincerely hope that students realize that the individuals elected to represent them have power not only over dances and parades, but administrative and appropriation authority that gives SUUSA Government the ability to enact change or protect the status quo. 

Officers' ideas about spending and university policies differ and can have a profound effect on how they will govern. 

A student who leaves SUU will still hold a degree and education from this institution with a reputation that will follow them for the rest of their life. He or she will remain tied to what goes on at this campus.

Last week, 1,598 members of SUUSA headed to the polls to vote for their choice to represent them. That is a number that puts SUU at the top of Utah universities for percentage of the student body who vote. 

Despite this admirable number of around 25 percent, it could be so much higher. SUU is a small school, and we need to live up to our "private school feeling" so unique to this campus. 

I challenge every student to get educated and get out and vote.