When Ben Hill '98 dropped out of the race for Student Assembly president last night, he left only two candidates on the ballot. Now students are wondering why the top spot in the student body is one of Dartmouth's least desired positions.
When students head to the polls April 16, they will choose between the fewest number of candidates in recent memory -- in 1993 seven candidates sought the position.
Two years ago, the Assembly was plagued by infighting and politicking. When Jim Rich '96 was elected president in 1995, the body stopped bickering and started focusing on the issues. Its visibility lessened, and the number of interested candidates plummeted.
"We've kind of scraped away a lot of the superficial [crap] and the politics and the infighting. It gave the illusion that there was something at stake," said Bill Kartalopoulos '97, who ran for Assembly president last year.
"Now that we've gotten rid of the garbage we realize that it's an institution without a lot of power, without a strong mandate from the students and without even a clear representational function," he said. "There is a lot of work, not a lot of results and not a lot of glory."
Assembly Vice-President Chris Swift '98 disagreed. Swift said the Assembly's power has increased greatly in the last two years. But because the action is behind-the-scenes, a different and more serious breed of student leader runs for office.
"The SA is no longer student government. It's student advocacy and student service," Swift said. "And that has changed the type of people that get involved."
Presidential candidate Frode Eilertsen '99 agreed.
"It's much less of a circus this year," Eilertsen said. "People now are running for a reason and not just because they think it would be cool to run for SA president."
Serving as Assembly president is time-consuming, and few people are willing to put in the hours the job requires. Many say they have better ways to spend their time. As Hill said, "I've given and given to the [Assembly]. Now I want to give to myself and my friends."
Hill said members of the junior class would rather spend 1998 enjoying their last year at Dartmouth than politicking. Members of the Class of 1999 are reluctant to run because the position is traditionally held by a senior.
Many people choose not to run because they doubt they can win.
Joan Ai '98, a presidential candidate last year, said some people chose not to run this year because they thought Swift would be running for the position of president.
Swift said he decided not to run because campaigning would interfere with his ability to finish his work as vice-president.
"I made the decision at the end of last term that because of the way student service is viewed on campus I would not be able to get the work done that I had promised to get done," Swift said. "I had a responsibility to do what I was hired to do last spring."
In an interview before Hill's withdrawal, Director of Student Activities Linda Kennedy said three presidential candidates is a sufficient number. She said more candidates would have come forward if there had been major campaign issues.
"At the time of petitioning to get on the ballot there were relatively few big issues," Kennedy said. "Students tend to choose to run around big issues, and when there aren't big issues they don't see the need to run."
Unai Montes-Irueste '98, who withdrew from last year's election, said few people enter the race because the Assembly no longer takes stands on important issues. The organization is more interested in student services, like purchasing additional BlitzMail computers.
"In the past two years the SA has undergone a process of political neutering," Montes-Irueste said. "People see that the SA isn't willing to tackle the issues they care about, so they aren't going to run. They would rather try other venues."
Simone Swink '98, who has twice served as campaign manager for a presidential candidate, said there are other more desirable leadership opportunities.
"The SA president is someone for the administration to point at and the student body to blame," Swink said. "The president is the most obvious scapegoat."
Presidential candidate Scott Jacobs '99 agreed.
"People have become a little bit disillusioned with the goals of the Assembly," he said. "That has made them seek leadership positions in different organizations."
The Dartmouth Plan is another reason some candidates do not run, since prospective candidates are required to be on campus all three terms they hold office.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton said students do not feel connected to the Assembly, since candidates do not represent specific campus constituencies. At some schools, members of student government represent their residence halls.
"I think because the students are elected on an open basis we do not have the sense of each official having a constituency," Pelton said. "That makes students perceive the Student Assembly as not being representative."
Some students do not run because they do not know they can.
"A lot of people don't know how to run or that they can run," Hill said.
Election Advisory Committee Chairman Mark Hoffman said the EAC will work to educate more people about the opportunities to run for office next year.
"We need to look at ways to advertise the positions so that people know what is out there and know a realistic estimate of the emotional and time commitment the offices require," Hoffman said.