Why You – Yes, You – Should Vote on SGA

Though Smithies don’t always see eye-to-eye on certain topics, we can all characterize Smith as a college that is focused on leadership in and beyond the classroom, a college that prioritizes an intellectual and personal focus on women that is appropriate in a world that hasn’t yet fully recognized the strength of all its genders.

To this end, some – if not all – of us are interested in the connection between values and institutions, and we want to see and to influence how this idea plays out in the selection of new leaders. But how do we transform these ideals into reality?

As of Monday, April 9 the SGA polls are open and easily accessible to the Smith community. Although casting your vote is not mandatory, it is an excellent way to play a part in shaping the future of our school.

Is there a particular SGA candidate that you think would best represent what you deem the school’s core values, who personifies the objectives of Smith?

When I reflect upon what Smith means, I see clearly that as a school we stand for:

1. An emphasis on the development of the individual student – which means we need accessible staff and relevant programs.

2. Respect for academic pursuits that honor intellectual freedom and individualism – ideas that produce interesting people pursuing interesting and unique dreams.

3. A clear connection between college education and the world beyond Smith, one that offers us exposure to the world and provides all-important relevance for the work we do.

4. At our core, we seem to have found a way to blend ideas about service, leadership and self-realization in a way that truly serves young women well.

The chance and encouragement to state your opinion – much like I am doing now and like what people do everyday – is being handed to us on a platter here, Smithies. And the SGA elections are the perfect outlet to express such opinions. You’ve seen the e-mails, the chalkings, the Facebook invites encouraging you to cast your vote. While these can be easy to ignore, it would be to our disadvantage to toss away this right.

We must understand the importance of casting our votes and applying our knowledge of the school’s mission to electing those who will uphold these values on behalf of the entire community. Our tuition pays to vote for representatives who will allocate our resources in ways we deem fit. We are fortunate to be able to select our own leaders and must take advantage of this opportunity.

Get busy voting and good luck to all of the candidates!