Today, students will have the opportunity

to decide what next year’s student government

will look like.

The Undergraduate Student Government is

holding elections today for its 18 elected director

and senator positions. The winners, along

with seven appointed positions, will lead Kent

State’s government next year.

Students can vote for the positions between

8 a.m. and 6 p.m. today simply by logging onto

FlashLine and clicking the provided link to

vote.

With that in mind, we want to encourage

students to do just that because of USG’s impact

on the student population at Kent State.

If you’re not sure what USG is, let us tell

you. The 25 directors and senators play a large

role in programs and events offered at the university.

USG is responsible for bringing in the

campus’s biggest events, such as the Jay Sean

concert in February, and the group also organizes

services such as the on-campus recycling

program put into place by this year’s executive

director, Scott Sherwood.

On a smaller level, there is a senator for each

individual college offered at the university.

Those senators are responsible for organizing

smaller events within the college, such as meetand-

greets with the dean.

And it’s not just events. USG also has services

such as judicial advocates, who assist students

when they are required to go to a Judicial

Affairs hearing. According to the USG Web site,

these advocates help students understand the

process of the hearing and any possible sanctions.

Despite all that, a lot of students aren’t as

familiar with their government as they should

be.

Just before the elections last spring, the Daily

Kent Stater polled 50 students. None of the 50

knew who their individual senator was, and 21

didn’t even know USG existed.

While the Stater didn’t conduct a similar

poll this year, it’s fair to say that a significant

enough portion of the student body is unfamiliar

with their student government. And that’s

not a good thing.

Now, perhaps some of the blame can be leveled

at the directors and senators for not getting

their names out there more often. But students

also have the responsibility to find out for

themselves what their elected representatives

do for them.

So why not find out? Research the organization

online. Or better yet, visit the office in person.

It’s located on the first floor of the Student Center, so it’s not very hard to find.

But the best way to start familiarizing yourself

with the student government is by voting in

today’s elections. Last year, just 1,387 students

— a tiny fraction of the total number of students

at the university — voted in the election. This

year, it’d be nice to see a more significant portion

of students vote for their representatives.

It’s especially important for underclassmen

who will be around next year when these representatives

are in office. If elected, these candidates

will be making decisions that influence

the university next year — so it makes sense to

vote.

The Stater ran profiles of the candidates for

eight days leading up to today’s election, so

take a look at KentWired.com if you’re unfamiliar

with the candidates. Don’t use unfamiliarity

as an excuse not to vote, especially because it’s

so easily fixed.

So don’t forget: You have from 8 a.m. until

6 p.m. today to make your voice heard, so take

five minutes out of your day to vote. Don’t miss

out on the opportunity.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion

of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board whose

members are listed to the left.