No, no, Glen Coco: What not to do as a freshman on a college campus

[Columns, letters or cartoons published are the work of the attributed author and do not necessarily represent the official views or opinions of “The Highland Echo.”]

So much has been crammed into the last few months. Beyonce lit up the stage (for a while, at least) at the Super Bowl. Palestine was officially recognized by the UN as a non-member state. The world quit manufacturing Twinkies, for goodness’ sake!

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that Barack Obama was reelected less than a year ago because there have been so many momentous happenings since, congressional debates included.

I mean, who knows what will happen with the Human Rights Campaign?

All I can say is that I find it extremely inspiring that so many people are passionate about the goings on in our country and are voicing their opinions on a broader scale.

It almost makes you wish there was another presidential election coming up, right? Just kidding. I know very few people who want to go through that stress more often than every four years.

The system allows for a brief reprieve from political hype, and I, for one, am grateful for that.

However, just because the presidential election is a couple more years into the future does not mean there is not a  multitude of other elections springing up now. So, the advice I have to give this issue is simple: Be knowledgeable about voting.

As many of you are aware, April 9 was the official voting day for your 2013-2014 SGA here at MC.

Although most positions were uncontested, there were a couple of senatorial and cabinetry spots that called for elections.

As all of the current freshman seats were filled, I was unable to vote for my representatives, but I hope that many of you readers were able to participate.

I know the SGA race is not quite as important as a national election, but I find it concerning that the Huffington Post reports young adults made up only 19 percent of the voting population. I sincerely hope that you voted in the recent SGA election, and, moreover, I hope you thought about who to vote for.

I assure you I am not criticizing the students’ choice in the recent election.

We had some excellent candidates this year and I am confident in the student body’s choice. However, as a freshman (and next year, sophomore) senator, I want people to vote for those they honestly feel would represent their opinions the best.

The point of SGA is for representatives to bring to light issues the students are facing and enact resolutions or change policy to resolve problems campus-wide, and it is nearly impossible to do so effectively without the input of our constituents.

That being said, I truly hope you will seek out your senators for next year and encourage them to highlight problems you face, whether it be over the effectiveness of the disorderly conduct policy or just not having enough menu options in Isaacs.

Your SGA representatives can and want to help you.

Okay, I’m stepping down from the soapbox. Obviously, you cannot retroactively talk to the candidates running for SGA and cast a vote for your top pick if you were unable to do so, but I encourage you to vote wisely in other situations, as well.

As the year is winding down, many clubs and organizations are having elections for the next set of officers. When these take place, think about what you want accomplished through that organization and who is going to help you do it.

You have a responsibility to vote in a way that is most beneficial to the largest amount of people.

Because I don’t know about you, but I would prefer not to have a Stacey Campfield Sex Week scandal-esque situation on Maryville’s hands.