My Reaction

I promise I’ll write more, but in the meantime, here’s my reaction to it all. Be warned, it’s not very sophisticated, but comes in several steps.

1.) Sigh.
2.) Plz growz up. Plz lern electrl code. Thx.
3.) Why am I getting so much email?!
4.) Please don’t submit complaints out of spite. Please see number 2 above.
5.) Please make campaigning rules more explicit.
6.) (This is an important one). Please make code more explicit when it comes to slates.
7.) Please don’t tell me that candidates who may be friends aren’t allowed to poster together. I find that sad-making. We should encourage friendship, not destroy it through campaign rules. A second sigh.
8.) Next year’s candidates: please be cautious in your campaigns and don’t associate with one another if rules aren’t changed. Not only so that you don’t get disqualified, but also so that people aren’t personally insulted over the interwebs.
9.) To some unknown being/master of the universe/spaghetti monster: please stop things going to student court during every election. Here I think it’s legit, but seriously?
10.) Ok, I think that’s it. Actually, no. Please stop flaming each other through comments. It’s been fine here, but I’ve been reading some of the other threads, and I’m surprised that university students resort to personal attacks and insults to try to make their point. When I debate according to Cusid rules, this isn’t allowed, and that makes me happy. I’d like to know that non-debaters are also capable of debate that doesn’t involve yelling at others when they disagree. Ok, now that’s it.

Sorry, I’m a touch disgruntled, in case you couldn’t tell. I feel like most of the filed complaints are sort of frivolous. It’s great to launch complaints, but not in this manner. A lot of it seems like backlash against the EC. I don’t agree with their decision, but at this point there’s little to be done except for wait for this to go to student court. In the meantime, though, I think people need to take these complaints more seriously and not complain about things that don’t warrant complaining about (for instance, slates between VFMs, because those don’t count).

Seriously, though, I will hopefully be writing something about slates. I do think they’re a bad idea, but only in certain situations, and not just because they give students running for office an unfair advantage. I just think that rules need to be made crystal clear about what exactly constitutes a slate (i.e. not postering/making announcements together, particularly when it’s stated that that is allowed. Also, I think there needs to be some recognition that students might just poster together for company. Going around campus by yourself and putting up posters=boring. Getting your friends=more fun). Hopefully, those will be made sometime soon.