Does everybody know what this Thursday is? That’s right, it’s SA elections ‘ part deux!

All sassiness aside, this Thursday the elections for the positions of Student Association president and vice president for academic affairs are being rerun amid a sea of controversy.

A quick recap: the presidential election was ruled invalid when then-president-elect David Bass failed to turn in his campaigning receipts by the set time. However, things took a turn for the ugly when Belsky accused Bass of sexually harassing and blackmailing him behind closed doors.

Sure, it may sound more like an episode of ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ than a college student organization. Still, don’t let the ridiculousness of the situation overshadow what’s important here: getting out and voting.

The SA elections typically have a rather poor turnout to begin with and rerun elections can barely bring out the small amount of people who voted the first time around (this year was a bit different, with one of the highest vote counts in recent memory). But if you have any opinion on the despicable nature of the controversy surrounding this year’s election, or on the results of the election itself, you MUST take the two minutes necessary to vote this Thursday.

Do you really want the student-government nerds to be the only ones who determine the composition of next year’s executive board?

The events of the past two weeks have left all of BU with no choice but to question the integrity and ethics of the students who will run our SA next year. Do you disagree with the actions of either of the candidates in this year’s elections? If so, voting is the only way to have an impact and make your feelings known.

Democracy can only survive if people believe in the system and participate. When constituents fail to vote, they’re not just undermining the integrity of the system ‘ they’re inviting the government in place to completely ignore their wishes. And when people don’t speak out against something that’s wrong, they’re essentially condoning it.

Every undergraduate at this school pays a mandatory student activity fee, so every undergrad is affected by the SA and the results of Thursday’s upcoming election. Whether or not you follow what the SA actually does or not irrelevant ‘ this is your SA, and it’s supposed to represent you. Get involved.

Vote.