Voting booths, mistakes in vote counting, confused people…all part of an election in America and now we at Fairfield have joined the infamous 2000 election scandal. But when the dust finally settled and the recount was finally over, I was shocked to find that the three main positions in FUSA were all filled by sophomores. Kevin Neubauer as President, Jillian Grant as VP of Programming, and Geoff Cook as Vice-President of Senate.
I was surprised at this because normally upcoming juniors don’t win big elections. But when I saw the voter numbers, it became clear to me why these people won. The sophomore and freshman classes turned out in very high numbers unlike the juniors and seniors, who failed to make a substantial difference. As our three newly elected leaders are sophomores, this voting breakdown gave them the advantage they needed.
Personally, I think voter apathy was what got them elected. People weren’t driven to vote and during the campaign, Neubauer and Grant were both very visible and working for votes. It was easier for them to overcome apathy because it is simpler to get underclassmen, who live on campus, to take a few minutes and vote.
So what does this all mean? Well frankly, I think it could either be something that either helps the school tremendously or it means nothing. Neubauer made some extravagant promises during his campaign that will be difficult to implement. Sadly, he could become a lame duck president if he is unable to carry through on his ideas.
He took a huge risk making those promises. But if he does pull through and deliver he could have a great impact on our school. He promised to lessen student apathy and if he does that, I think most people will consider him an amazing president. But for right now, as we printed last week, get us a decent band.
Neubauer has lots of challenges as I’ve mentioned, but one that we alluded to last week could be the most serious. Without any seniors in power next year the class of 2004 could be hostile towards Neubauer’s issues. If Neubauer fails to listen to their concerns and give them a voice, he could end up fighting an uphill battle against popular opinion. If he alienates the senior class, other students may think that he doesn’t listen to student concerns. Hopefully, President-Elect Kevin Neubauer doesn’t make this mistake.
According to rumors, the Constitution of Fairfield is going to be modified soon.
Will the young bloods make any difference in those changes? My guess is yes but not because they are members of the class of 2005. Any newly elected official involved in FUSA will work on changing the constitution and making needed changes. Hopefully, these adjustments are for the better.
The elections of 2003 are over and the winners have been decided. I say congratulations and good luck in the coming year. Don’t sit back and enjoy yourselves, make a positive impact on Fairfield and make our class proud. Do what you promised and more. We’ll be watching.
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