Let’s be honest with ourselves: There is limited interest in the upcoming Associated

Students Inc. election. The last ASI election produced only a seven percent voter turnout among students and five elected officials who had to step down after their grades suffered. The next batch of ASI representatives will have to fight potential budget cuts and do its part to fulfill Sacramento State’s Destination 2010 platform.

It will not be enough for ASI to merely be more visible on campus. ASI will need to be an integral part of any movement that will attempt to fight the cuts to the California State University budget. The members of ASI should prepare themselves for a hectic job that will demand most of their free time.

The future is always uncertain, but one thing is not: Miguel Cervantes will be the next president of ASI. As the only candidate available, he likely get The Hornet’s endorsement. It is highly likely that the lack of choice in the upcoming

election will excuse students from showing up to vote. On the other hand, students may be more involved with politics this time around because it is a national election for president as well. The ASI election my see a higher turnout simply because students view it as a practice of sorts for the national elections in November.

Students at a commuter campus are not apt to get involved with politics at school. Many students at Sacramento State are just there for the diploma. Others have trouble showing up to class regularly. This is not the ideal mixture for interest in extracurricular activities.

The voter turnout at the upcoming ASI elections will help serve as an indicator

for how seriously students on campus are taking their chances of eliminating the proposed budget cuts, as well as their interest in the future of Sac State. An optimist would say that ASI has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception over five decades ago and its members should be proud of the work they do. A pessimist would say that ASI elections are irrelevant and student government is better at padding the résumés of its members than serving the campus. Chances are, most of the students at Sac State are pessimists.

The State Hornet staff can be reached at [email protected].