Discussions

So just posting on here wondering if any other ACC Students share my thoughts.  
 
In my 2nd year at ACC and have both times noticed the same thing. Prior to student elections, the nominees all put up the exact same poster:  
 
"Vote for _______" and that is it. No information about who they are, what qualifications they have, or even what they hope to accomplish in their desired position.  
 
I have several times now over the last two years emailed/messaged the student association asking for more information about the candidates. The only response I ever got was  
 
"All of our candidates go through a background check".  
 
And that's great and all that they're not criminals, but my problem is that I have nothing to distinguish one stranger from another. I've asked "Is there a meet and greet with the candidates?" "Is there any kind of debate?" "Do you have any information on the people running so that I can make an educated decision when I vote?"  
 
Every one of these requests has been entirely ignored.  
 
Here is my problem with this.  
 
The student election is basically a job interview where these people are supposed to be serving the student body for a year. But the students have zero information about the candidates unless they HAPPEN to be in the same class. And in that case they're likely to vote for their classmate.  
 
In other words, the student elections are a complete sham. 90% of the school will either not vote, or just vote for the best poster. It's pretty much garbage.  
 
ORRRRR Maybe these candidates DO deserve my vote. But if so, somebody needs to finally tell me where I can learn more about them.

If you're so unhappy with their response why not go down to the office and speak to them directly?  
 
Usually with these positions there is only one person running for it and will most likely get mostly "yes" votes when it comes time. Usually the vote for the next year is done by now with school coming to an end so soon.  
 
Go get involved instead of complaining on ebrandon.

The OP isn't technically wrong to want information on candidates running to make an informed decision on who to vote for without getting involved in all the campaigning. They want to get involved it seems by enquiring where they can attend debates or information sessions.  
 
They are right there is posters all over the school with no information...not just one candidate.

*enter name here* said "If you're so unhappy with their response why not go down to the office and speak to them directly?     Usually with these positions there is only one person running for it and will most likely get mostly "yes" votes when it comes time. Usually the vote for the next year is done by now with school coming to an end so soon.     Go get involved instead of complaining on ebrandon. "

I can absolutely respond to these.  
 
1. The couple of times I have been to the student association, nobody has been there. Or I would have spoken to someone directly.  
 
But even if I hadn't been there myself, I shouldnt HAVE to make an appointment or drop in to get a response to some pretty straightforward questions. These people are paid to respond to the needs of the students. They work for us.  
 
2. This year there is not only one person running for each position. There is actually a vote to be had. And it has not taken place. I am a consciencious voter. I believe in putting thought into my vote and really dont think it is unreasonable for me to ask for the information I need in order to make an educated decision.  
 
3. As for getting involved... Just because I care about my vote and want to make an educated decision, does not mean I have the time to devote to running. Nor should it. Caring about the election doesn't mean that I should have to get politically involved. I came to school to learn and that is my primary focus. However, I also pay for the privilege of having student representation and student government. So I absolutely care about who wins. There's nothing wrong with this.  
 
3. As for complaining on Ebrandon, I would have happily gone to a different forum strictly for students, but couldnt find a general one. I did however find their facebook student association page, where I posted my inquiry and was ignored.  
 
Additionally, why should I not post on ebrandon? It has the attention of the community. Hopefully others see it and maybe someone with a greater understanding of the student body elections can answer my questions. Or maybe someone will know somebody who can. That's the power of the internet. It grants me exposure when the people who should be answering my questions are ignoring me.  
 
Furthermore, it brings up a topic of discussion that obviously needs to be addressed. I have been to other colleges where student elections are run like an actual election rather than a random "Which poster do I like better" vote and frankly I expect more because I've experienced better.  
 
I dont think there is anything wrong with this at all.

I completely agree with what you’re saying here. I am also a student at ACC and I find it very odd that the only connection we have with most of these candidates is their picture on a wall.  
 
There should really be events held for students to better understand what the individual candidates values are and actually get to know them on a personal level.  
 
In my opinion, these candidates should be the type of people that aren’t afraid to stand up for topics that students may have of concerns about. Sure you might see their face around school but for one person to go talk to this person isn’t going to change the whole schools perspective on that individual.  
 
The whole process seems more like a middle school joke rather than a college election. I really hope as a school we can take these decisions more seriously after all, these are the people of the future.

I think that those elected are also paid $16 / $17 an hour for time duties are performed. Would you hire somebody to be paid with tax payers money based on a picture contest?

You guys get it.  
 
We're talking about hiring someone for a job and the ONLY qualification we have seen is a picture on a wall. We have no idea if they made it themselves. So actually, the only qualification we've seen is....nothing.  
 
I find the election process a little insulting. Because everyone is just going to randomly select a stranger's name.  
 
Yesterday in the hallway I was discussing this with somebody and they mentioned that they were probably just going to vote for the most attractive person. Again, really? That's just stupid. This voting system is a complete crock.  
 
Either give us a reason to vote, or just interview and hire the most qualified candidate. But letting us "Vote" based on nothing is literally the worst option available.

So some good news.  
 
I was just told that on Tuesday, they will be hosting a candidate event as Crossroads for people to get to know the candidates.  
 
That is certainly helpful.  
 
However, I think it would be nice if the candidates also had a write-up about themselves and their goals.  
 
If this is done well, it would absolutely shut me up.

I did get a response from the student association and they were extremely responsive and helpful. It was excellent.  
 
Had I gotten the same response last year, I would never have gotten so frustrated. However, this year they reached out and were really fantastic.