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If all
the latest presidential election hype has got
you thinking about school politics, check this
out!
President Knows Best!
By Feona Sharhran Huff
November 2000
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Thinking
about running for a school election, but not sure
what you can do to win? Jeff Marx, author of How
To Win A High School Election (Jeff Marx Books,
1999), says "the most important thing is
to push yourself to go for it." That's what
he did when he was in junior high school. Although
the odds were against him (he wasn't popular and
he didn't have any experience), he was excited
about running for vice president of student council.
This theory and others work for college students
as well. Get the 4-1-1 from the following Student
Government Association presidents on what forged
them onward to victory.
KNOW WHY YOU'RE RUNNING
When Ray Dillard started his freshman year as
a communications major at Augsburg College, Brooklyn
Parks, MN, last year, he wasn't a happy camper.
"I observed things that were going on campus
that I wasn't pleased with. I figured if I ran
into some type of leadership role, I'd be able
to get something done." So, he ran for president.
Instead of developing an elaborate campaign full
of posters, flyers, candy, etc., Ray spent time
speaking with his peers about finding ways to
diversify the campus by increasing minority enrollment
(the campus is predominately white). "I believe
my views were interesting and the students were
willing to go along with me," says Ray. "I
stayed on the level with the students. They appreciated
that I was real with them and they could relate
to what was happening on campus." Ray, now
a sophomore, says he was always confident that
he knew what his peers wanted and needed at the
school.
KEEP YOUR MESSAGE CONSISTENT
WITH YOUR PLATFORM
James Bond, a senior majoring in government and
journalism at the University of Maryland, College
Park, College Park, MD, says his school's SGA
function was in question. Students didn't know
what the organization did or what students' money
was really used for. When James decided to run,
he gave the students what they were lacking --
a consistent and defined message and mission.
His party called themselves The ABSOLUT (Accountability
Bonding Safety Outreach Leadership Unity Tolerance)
Party. He assured students that whatever promises
he made to them, he'd follow through on (Accountability).
He told the student body that he wanted SGA to
be the first place they came when they had problems
(Outreach). Last year, when the campus was hit
by a hate crime, James addressed ways to prevent
it from happening again (Tolerance).
TALK WITH THE PEOPLE
Christopher Boyce, a senior political science
student at Minnesota State University, Mankato,
MN (MSUM), believed the best way to win the presidency
for SGA was by talking with the students. Not
only did he speak with the athletes, the international
population, dormitory residents, sororities, and
fraternities about his views and goals for MSUM,
he also asked the students what they wanted. Their
interaction was more of an exchange of ideas then
a plea for a vote, he says. "Actions speak
louder than words. Don't expect someone to vote
for you just because you put up a poster or you
shake a hand. It's showing a student how much
power he/she has on the campus."
GET GOOD CAMPAIGN SUPPORT
No SGA president wins an election by himself.
Winning comes from the support that allows him
or her to do what needs to be done. At least that's
the logic of Seth Tyminski, a senior English major
at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. That's
why he enlisted the help of 12 to 15 hard-working
and dedicated friends. Without his campaign team,
he would have been a madman around campus trying
to hang posters, talk with the students about
the issues, pass out candy and business cards,
and be available for chats. While he was out and
about keeping his face in the public eye, Seth's
support group pitched in with everything else.
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· For more on
Jeff Marx's book, click here.
· For more winning strategies
of the sports kind, click into The CollegeBound
Network's Sports
department.
· Speaking of winning, play away
at The CollegeBound Nework's "Contest
Express Lane." |
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