12:01 am. October 11, 1995. The phone rings.
"Hi! I noticed your "I voted" sticker wasn't by your name on the posterboard and I just wanted to remind you, you can still vote tomorrow at the Reitz Union, Turlington, and the South West Rec Center. It is very important for you to go out and vote and I'd like to put your name in for the drawing tomorrow. I'll be driving over to the polling locations tomorrow after dinner if you need a ride, O.K.? I'll see you at the house tomorrow. Bye."
This is a familiar conversation for many Greek members who have "made the mistake" of not voting on the first day of elections. Let me explain further. In fraternity and sorority houses there are posterboards with every member's name on it with a line next to the name. The line is where the member puts his or her "I voted" sticker. In sorority houses a sister is "encouraged" to voted by the house representative through drawings for gift certificates to Gap, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, and other stores. Fraternity houses are similarly "encouraged" with bar tabs and strong peer pressure at dinner.
But do these people realize who they are voting for, if they're qualified, or even why they are voting? Or are they just interested in winning a gift certificate or avoiding repetitive questions about if they have voted yet?
I have always believed that voting is a personal decision and a privilege, not something to be pushed upon people at the early hours of the morning or at dinner. Encouraging people to vote is the right idea, but do the Greeks really know who the people are that they are voting for, what they stand for, and how they will represent their constituents' needs?
My first semester here, it was election time and I knew nothing about Student Government. My sorority sisters said go out and vote for my sisters running for senate seats. But when I went to vote, none of my sisters were running in my district, so I simply voted for some people I had never even heard of that were slated in the same party as my sisters, the Florida Blue Key backed Sun Party. I helped a person get into office that I had never even seen or even knew about. I had never even read a Sun party platform.
But how was my support rewarded? What does the Greek party really do for me as a fellow Greek? Not a whole lot. Greeks seem to be least represented and defended by Student Government. For instance, near the beginning of this semester a fraternity president, social chair, and member were charged by the Interfraternity Council, University Police Department, and Student Judicial Affairs for an incident involving a woman who was under 21 picked up by police with an extremely high blood alcohol level.
She was found wandering around fraternity row after attending a party there. These men were seriously charged by three different entities without anyone coming to their aid. Where were their Student Government (SG) representatives when they were in real need of defense?
This is just one of many ways that Greeks are used for their vote and then ignored until the next election time. Before you vote, make sure that you are putting someone in office that you know will defend students and fight for the rights and needs of their constituents - not just sign their name on the SG attendance sheet and support whatever the majority of people in senate tell them to support.
There is nothing wrong with supporting your brother or sister running for office. Just make sure they are willing to support you when you need them.