LETTER TO THE EDITOR: ‘I simply request that the 3 tickets be given a chance to run a fair campaign’

I come before you as a student leader entrusted with the voice of the students. Most recently, it had been determined by the Student Government Council at the Modesto Maidique Campus Supreme Court that the 2012 SGA elections had been tainted with “widespread voter fraud.” Furthermore, this past Friday, an opinion had been released from FIU Administration overturning the decision of the SGC-MMC Supreme Court and letting the current elections results stand. In reaction to this students from across the university have come together and put their differences aside to unite under the ideals of fairness and equality. Many student leaders have presented their cases and this has prompted me to voice my concerns and the concerns of students across the university alike.

The purpose of this message is not to say that one opinion is right and another is wrong. I, however, as an elected official know the struggles of running an election and can’t sit back and watch idly as a compromised election is left to stand. Considering the high voter turn out we have seen this year we have to take into account what ramifications would be seen in future elections should voter fraud be committed again. Lastly, we have disengaged our students from the process, further instilling a tradition of apathy and the thought that the elections are “rigged.” This has become a measure of politics for many, putting their personal interests before the interests of the student body as a whole.

I have served throughout the Division of Student Affairs at FIU over all 4 years of my career here. I have been honored with the “Diversity Award” for 2 years and have made a name for myself throughout the campus implementing positive change wherever I served. I have also sought to go into the field of Higher Education Administration because of my interest in the welfare of student life at the university and the development of leaders throughout the university community. As an aspiring Student Affairs professional I look at this as a case of ethics and I can’t say that this elections process was conducted ethically by any of the tickets. As this university grows and develops it is only natural that cases like this would emerge and as such we need to address them as they come, no matter the gravity or magnitude, so that the university community can prosper well into the future.

I do not present a case to say that one ticket should win over another, I simply request that the 3 tickets be given a chance to run a fair campaign. To know what it is to truly work to gain a students vote, because the student is genuinely interested in the happenings of their Student Government and by way of their student fees. I do not act in the best interest of myself, nor am I acting in the best interest of another, I am acting in the best interest of the university community as a whole.

Respectfully, I offer my opinion for your consideration,

Giovanni Correale
Florida International University
Senator, College of Arts and Sciences
Student Government Association

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