I originally decided to run for the presidency of Graduate Student Senate because the last two elections had been unopposed. In my mind, one choice is no choice at all.
That was almost five months ago, and during that time, I have learned a great deal of wonderful things about GSS, Ohio University’s graduate population and our community as a whole.
GSS has done much for the community and has the potential to do so much more. I have also learned one unfortunate truth about GSS: Like its undergraduate counterpart, many students don’t seem to know what it is or does.
When faced with a similar problem on Student Senate, we made sure all the activities are open to the community, especially to those we represent. So it was, with a measure of disappointment, that I found the election process for GSS to be less supportive.
Case in point, GSS and its Board of Elections released paperwork for candidacy, election deadlines and process information five days before it was due. I was fortunate because I had been organizing members of my campaign long before the release of that information, but it was quite another story for graduate students that had not known about the process until that moment.
GSS has 11 elected positions and a component for party declaration. For any graduate student that has never heard of GSS, had questions about the process or had complications that require special consideration, five days is simply not enough time to organize.
Soon after that, the Board of Elections informed me that it had “concluded that it is not the role of the GSS Board of Elections to provide a debate.”
Despite this being the first contested election in two years, representatives of GSS determined that it is not a priority to do anymore than send a single email to graduates informing them about the election.
Now there might yet be a chance for some kind of public forum or debate, given that The Post has contacted both parties and offered to host a function. I fully intend to appear in the public as much as possible to help graduates make a decision.
However, it does not change the fact that GSS is failing to engage its constituents in the process, which brings me back to my original statement: Many graduate students do not know what GSS is or does.
During the last four years, there has not been a single election where more than 250 graduates voted. There is a cyclical problem here.
Students don’t find out about important things done by their representatives, so they believe they do nothing. In turn, graduates don’t compete for the privilege of representing us to the university, so we are fooled into believing GSS is not an important institution.
Engagement produces value.
Value produces more engagement.
Clearly I am a candidate for a specific party and I am working to get elected, but if you are a graduate student reading this letter, I implore you to learn more about GSS itself and to become involved.
John Calhoun is a presidential candidate for Graduate Student Senate.
