EDITORIAL: Think before you cast your UA vote

Your vote this year will make a difference on whether or not Greeks gain control of the UA. The recent e-mail by the InterFraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council telling members to vote for Greek candidates -- 28 of the 56 running are Greek-affiliated -- expressly to secure UA funds for fraternity parties is discouraging. Don't vote for a particular candidate just because he or she are Greek -- just because he or she are not Greek. Vote for candidates who advocate the issues you believe are important. With the removal of the gag rule, candidates have been able to freely discuss the issues facing the UA. Think about the consequences your vote could have this year. In recent years, approximately 20 percent of the student body voted in UA elections. Since Greeks constitute 30 percent of the student population, it is possible that all of the IFC-supported candidates could get elected. And with 16 Greek candidates running for the 15 College positions, one of them could lose and they could still control all of those seats. Ask yourself if you think it is in the best interest of the student body for the UA to fund the IFC, and specifically, allocate possibly $20,000 or more for fraternity parties. The UA gets 10 percent of the general fee to divide among the various student groups. If a Greek-dominated UA were to give funding to the IFC, other organizations would lose funding --Ethat includes Social Planning and Events Committee, Nominations and Elections Committee, Student Committee on Undergraduate Education and Student Activities Council. The credibility of the UA will suffer if one group succeeds in gaining many of the seats. How can the UA claim it is representative of the student body if it is composed of mostly fraternity members? Also, the IFC and Panhel e-mail only singled out two females --Eone sorority member and one who supports IFC funding. We are also concerned that if Greek members are able to pass a funding referendum, they may then lose interest in their role in student government since they expressly became involved for this one issue. Attendance at UA meetings has been dismally low all year. We need students who will take on a variety of issues passionately and care enough to show up to meetings. And this applies to all candidates, not just Greek ones. Go to the polls and when you do, don't vote blindly. Understand who it is you are voting for, because it does matter.