Write-in candidates comprise nearly one quarter of appointments
Representation on the final ballot for the 2012 Student Government elections is looking sparse for voting day next week, with 13 out of 50 open senate seats void of contestants.
According to the ballot finalized Tuesday, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Darla Moore School of Business and the College of Journalism are the only senatorial districts with more candidates than seats, with 20 people running for 14 spots in arts and sciences, 10 running for seven spots in business and six running for three spots in journalism. The College of Engineering will have an uncontested race for its four representative positions.
Meanwhile, the colleges of Nursing, Social Work, Hospitality, Education and Music as well as the School of Law and the College of Pharmacy will rely on write-ins during the voting period and later walk-ons to fill their open positions.
Student Body President Joe Wright isn't worried about the ballot shortage.
"Students still have a chance to get into senate if they missed the filing date," Wright said. "We always get [seats] filled by March or April."
According to SG adviser Theresa Sexton, write-in candidates have always made up a significant portion of new senate members. This year it would be a quarter of the senate.
However, Wright acknowledged that the lack of contestants before actual elections may contribute to the astonishingly low voter turnout that SG sees each year — only 3,245 students, less than 20 percent of USC's population, cast their ballots on VIP in last year's elections.
"The more people who run, the more people who vote because they're friends and bases come out," Wright said.
This year's relatively "quiet" SG executive campaign has so far been lacking in the drama of last year's rule violations and candidate endorsements, which has raised question as to whether even fewer students will bother to vote this season. However, the stakes remain high for whomever wins the high-profile positions of student body president, vice president and treasurer.
The 2012-13 student body president will represent all 45,774 students across the university's eight regional campuses and receives a stipend of $4,800, according to an estimate given by Wright. The vice president, who presides over the student senate, and the treasurer, who oversees SG's entire operational budget, also receive stipends. All three positions require a minimum of 10 hours per week.
In comparison, senate members face a significantly shorter list of responsibilities outside of attending weekly sessions and assisting with SG programs. Student Body Treasurer and fifth-year integrated information technology and finance student Emily Supil said her start in SG benefitted her double-major.
"I can say if I wasn't involved in SG I wouldn't have gotten the job I have for after graduation," Supil said. "My position in senate, getting to allocate over $180,000, has been a great benefit for me."
However, not all districts have the same professional incentive to participate in Student Government. According to Supil, future elections committees and vice presidents will have to work on selling the idea of getting involved.
"The big challenge for Chase (Mizzell) after is to keep them engaged, and with an over 50-body senate, it's kind of hard," Supil said. "Last year there were a lot of people who were new and didn't transition as well as they should have."