Fall elections are upcoming for various Clark University Student Council (CUSC) positions. Voting runs from 12PM on November 7 to 12 PM on November 8.
Open positions include Hall Representatives for Hughes Hall, Bullock Hall, and the Johnson Sanford Center as well as an Equity and Inclusion Representative, an Off-Campus Representative, and a First-Year Representative according to CUSC Secretary Devlin Geisler.
Prospective members attended an October 24 general interest meeting. The general interest meeting or a follow-up office hours information session allows candidates to have their name printed on the ballot, though anyone can run as a write-in, Geisler explained.
Following an October 31 campaign meeting, candidates are permitted to advertise until 11:59 PM on November 6. Candidates can post flyers or banners, advertise in Red Square, and sign up to tables in the University Center (UC). Candidates are not permitted to request endorsements from registered student organizations (RSOs) or professors.
“If somebody’s in ten million different clubs and then someone [else is] not, it gives kind of an unfair advantage,” Geisler said about endorsements. “But I mean also, at the end of the day, we want people…out talking to people.”
Banning endorsements, Geisler argued, forces candidates to speak one-on-one with the Clark community, which she says is what CUSC is all about.
“Student council…is very much based as being an advocacy body for all of our students,” Geisler explained. “Our representatives talk with their constituencies, which kind of looks different depending on the position.”
“They…talk with the students, kind of figure out what they need, what’s really impacting those students,” Geisler continued. She referenced several dorm hall representatives advocating for first aid kits and materials in dorms on campus, a dining hall committee that helped select Harvest Table as the new dining vendor, and a coalition of representatives working to repair accessibility buttons that open the doors to campus facilities.
Geisler said that because the CUSC attribution gives “importance” to their name, representatives make a concerted effort to make issues known to administrators on behalf of their constituents.
“That’s one of the big strengths of student council, is getting to elevate those voices,” she said.
Clark University students looking to vote during the elections can access the ballot through Clark Engage. There are some restrictions on voting; for example, only first-year students can vote for the First-Year Representative, and the Off-Campus Representative election is restricted to commuting students. However, Clark Engage will automatically apply these criteria using data from the voter’s Student ID number.
“This year, with having one E&I position open right now, we’re lucky that everybody can vote for at least one person or for at least one position,” Geisler said. “Everyone can and should vote.”
CUSC has been implementing several strategies to increase voter engagement and turnout on campus. On election day, they will be tabling in the UC to encourage voting. At that location, there will be a small voting booth with a QR code to the voting form for easy access.
Students who vote will also receive stickers that read “I Voted.” Geisler explained that because many college students vote by mail or absentee in national elections, they do not get the experience of receiving an “I Voted” sticker. The stickers, as well as Halloween candy, are meant to incentivize students to vote. CUSC will also be advertising the election on their Instagram account, @clark_cusc, and putting up flyers around campus.
Get-out-the-vote initiatives have been spearheaded by the CUSC Election Committee, including Committee Chair Sam Baiser, JSC Hall Representative Zach Rutherford, and E&I Representative Steven Gibbons. Baiser asserts that these efforts have worked, as their general interest meeting turnout consisted of fourteen first-years competing for just six CUSC positions. He encouraged everyone to vote in the upcoming elections.
“It was just exciting last night because I was speaking to someone who wasn’t sure if they’re gonna run, but they might join like an external committee because there’s also a lot of those,” Baiser recalled. “There’s always a way for you to do it.”
