Answered! – Irrelevant information that you need to know: ASPSU Elections edition

Say wha?

“If I hadn’t read the Vanguard, I wouldn’t have even known the elections were going on, or anything about any of the candidates …”

-Anonymous voter (not a Vanguard employee, we swear!) commenting in the write-in portion of their online ballot on what they see as a lack of promotion for this year’s ASPSU elections.

In case you were wondering…

Yesterday was the annual ASPSU elections (in case you missed the Vanguard‘s front page today) and you probably did not vote.

The ASPSU elections had its lowest turnout in five years, with only 1,447 students (out of 25,000 students!) getting online and casting their votes. ASPSU elections routinely pull in a low percentage of student voters. The highest count in recent years was 2,432 for the 2005-06 elections.

The Associated Students of Portland State University encompasses all Portland State students who are enrolled in one or more credit hours at PSU. All it takes is enrolling in a bowling or yoga class and you’re in. Each year, students vote for elected officials within the organization: president and vice president, student fee committee chair and SFC members, as well as student senators.

Why does voting matter? Because elected officials lobby the government on behalf of the university, representing you throughout the state and country. They even, in the case of the student fee committee, control over $12 million of your student fees. That’s a lot of bling. So, why didn’t you vote?

What the hell is that?

It’s Hannah Fisher, your next student body president. Fisher, 20, along with running mate Kyle Cady, ran on the “Bridge the Gap” slate, with a goal of, well, bridging some sort of gap.

Fisher, who served as ASPSU University Affairs director last year, is currently a member of the State Board of Higher Education. She also is a well-known advocate for many causes including her current work with the Disability Advocacy Cultural Association as advocacy coordinator. She also apparently loves voting so much that she recently shaved the word “vote” on the side of her head, replacing the Star of David that she regularly sports.

That much is known already (if you read the Vanguard), but what you may not know is that this advocate and politician loves getting funky fresh on the dance floor. Fisher was the co-captain for her high school hip-hop dance squad and loves to tap dance. Who knows if our new leader will incorporate this skill into her speeches and advocacy? If she does a little soft-shoe routine while lobbying legislators, it may just help acquire massively larger amounts of funding for PSU.

Fisher also likes horseback riding and long walks on the beach, but that’s information you probably don’t need to know unless you plan on trying to date her. If you are here is her number: 503-804-… just kidding. You’ll have to find that one out on your own.