It’s that time of year again- when candidates are working hard to run for student body officers. The process for becoming a candidate for either President or Executive Vice President is somewhat lengthy and requires a lot of time and dedication.
Just by looking through the election and application packet, you would find it full of documents discussing proper procedure of running for office. The packet includes an application, a copy of the SLCCSA constitution, the elections 2010-2011 standing rules, and a copy of the SLCCSA By-laws.
The packets also include an election timeline, which lists forums and meetings candidates have to attend. There are many hours of hard work and preparation that go into running for office before the candidates are even allowed to actively campaign on March 20.
Deciding to run for office at SLCC is not for the average student. These students must be willing to put in the time to attend meetings, actively campaign, and prepare to serve in office to the best of their abilities.
In order to run for office this upcoming spring, students must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA, have completed nine credit hours during Fall Semester 2009, and be registered for nine credit hours Spring Semester 2010. Candidates have the option of running individually or with a party. Votes will be cast for individuals and ballots will be separate.
When deciding to run, there is an appropriate procedure that candidates must follow. That procedure includes turning in the completed application packet by Friday, March 5 at noon and attending a mandatory meeting the following Friday held in the Senate Chambers. In preparation for letting students know who they are, each candidate will arrange a 150-word biography and platform statement. In addition, they will have their pictures taken, which will help voters visualize the different candidates.
Another procedure when running for office includes a video of each candidate stating his or her reasons for running. These videos will also include each candidate’s campaign statement. Candidates are not allowed to announce their candidacy or begin campaigning until the morning of March 20. So until then, you will not publicly see the aspects of the process. Up till March 20, all of the work will be done by the candidates in private.
After March 20, you will begin to see posters for the different candidates. Candidates will be asking for your support and may even request your support over Facebook, Myspace, or other online sources. You will not see posters inside any of the buildings on SLCC campuses except at the Sandy Center. The Sandy Center is the only campus allowing posters inside the building.
Candidates are allowed to spend up to $300 of their own personal money and are given $75 to use as they see fit in their campaigns. Candidates are also allowed to use the student copy center for their campaigning needs.
With candidates currently in the process of completing their application packets, you can look forward to hearing from them in the near future.