Humber Etc.
Humber Etc.

The HSF student elections are just around the corner. Unfortunately for both students and candidates, the campaigning period officially began Feb. 18 (the first day of reading week) during which candidates applied for positions in the student government which manages a $5 million budget.

According to current HSF President Nicholas Farnell, reading week, although officially part of the campaigning period, is generally used as prep time for students to get their faces out there.

You'd hardly know there was an election looming aside from a few posters around campus. What's worse, the posters appear to be missing photographs of several candidates. How are students expected to familiarize themselves with those hoping to be the leader of student government when they don't even know what the candidates look like?

In the United States and Canada, election campaigning has traditionally been put on the back burner during holidays because politicians assume that their voters have other, more important, issues to attend to and they're right.

Reading week, while not an official holiday, should be treated as one by the HSF and should not commence the launch of the HSF election campaign period.

There is something more than a little unsettling about student government beginning an election campaign during a week when only a handful of students – potential voters – are around.

Farnell told the Et Cetera that candidates typically miss a lot of class during the campaign period and this is one of the reasons why campaign period begins during reading week.

Nevertheless, it's a good thing campaigning spills over into this week as well.

Farnell says he is aiming to double the voter turnout from a meager 6.7 per cent last year but with half of the campaign period occurring when no students are around, it might be easier said than done.�