Filing for SA offices ends Wednesday, March 10

Are you tired of annoying cell phone bills? Having trouble making ends meet? Do you ever just want to get away from it all, relax, and build strong bonds with your co-workers?

All you have to do is get elected president, vice-president, or treasurer of UB’s undergraduate Student Association (SA). Unless the current model changes, you’ll get $10,000 a year, a free cell phone, and free trips to resorts, all paid by your fellow students’ activity fees.

But you have to act now. You only have until Wednesday, March 10, to get 150 signatures on a university petition.

And there’s a few more details.

You first need a vice president. Just like the general election for national presidency, the SA elections run on a joint ticket system. So, pick a trusted friend, or at least an acquaintance without a grudge (i.e. classmate, fellow club/activity participant, member of the opposite sex you haven’t screwed over yet, etc.).

Next, make sure your ticket is in good academic standing, meaning a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. You also need to be making “satisfactory and timely progress towards a degree,” which means a 2.0 or higher for the most recent semester, and completion of at least 75 percent of all the credit hours registered for at UB.

Petition forms are available at the SA office, located at 350 Student Union. 150 signatures are needed for a presidential/vice-presidential joint ticket, 75 for a treasurer candidate. The signatures can only come from daytime undergraduates, and all candidates’ names must be declared before a student signs.

All petitions must be dropped off at the SA office by 12 p.m. on Wednesday. After these have been verified and approved by the Elections & Credentials Committee, candidates must attend a mandatory meeting to be held in 378 Student Union at 4 p.m., and any campaigning before the meeting can result in exclusion from the election.

Elections & Credentials Chair Nick Dunford largely rewrote the previous election rules when he took the post. He wanted to make the campaign process more efficient for candidates.

“The rules were outdated,” says Dunford. For example, under the previous electoral system, complaints between candidates were handled directly by the E&C Committee. The current rules give complaint jurisdiction to the Student Wide Judiciary (SWJ). Dunford believes this works better, as they have more experience in that type of conflict resolution.

He couldn’t comment on the current candidates, as he does not look at the field until the day of the elections.

“I want to make it as fair as possible.” Also, Dunford reminded, there is still time for students to join the race.

If elected, you’ll be catapulted into a world of campus fame and concrete fortune. Which isn’t to say the jobs are all fun and games: Executive officers are expected to fight for the issues that matter most to the people who elect them and pay their salaries, and that takes a lot of work, and the right kind of person.

SA Presidents must firmly govern in a manner befitting the will of the people. Vice-presidents are obligated to step up and meet the needs of the student body when duty demands it. Treasurers must ensure that the funds in their charge are spent honorably.

Benefits and responsibilities aside, a candidate must first appeal to and win the favor of UB’s electorate. But if recent history is any judge, it might be the easiest $10,000 you’ll ever make.