In just under a month, the student body will elect a new Oakland University Student Congress president and vice president.

It’s time to get informed.

This year, there are two tickets — Amera Fattah and Maria Arellano vs. Brandon Hanna and Jibran Ahmed.

This year’s tickets have distinct differences.

Let us explain.

Fattah / Arellano

Fattah and Arellano currently serve as members of OUSC. Fattah is the Director of Student Services and Arellano serves as the Multicultural Affairs Director.

In a nutshell, their platform includes enhancing marketing and media relations efforts, hosting larger events, installing more hydration stations, increasing dining space in Vandenberg and the new housing complex, lobbying for later hours of operation in the Oakland Center, including the dining services, partnering with Charwells and the Recreation Center to add a healthy dining service, adding additional Scantron machines, and more.

Hanna / Ahmed

Both male candidates also currently serve as members of OUSC. Hanna is the Student Activities Funding Board chairman, and Ahmed serves as a Student Congress Legislator.

Hanna and Ahmed’s platform includes improving Wi-Fi on campus, increasing and improving parking availability, bringing back the free ScanTron program, holding more career fairs on OU’s campus, keeping tuition low, increasing the number of instructors who use Moodle, increasing the amount of free prints students may use, providing more electrical outlets for student use, improving mobile phone reception on campus, and more.

Why it matters

You wouldn’t purchase a car without doing extensive research, so why would you vote for a representative without doing at least a little digging?

Last year’s election garnered only 1,184 votes. This means just over six percent of the student body voted in the OUSC election.

Emily Collins, OUSC election’s commissioner, aspires to get 3,000 — roughly 15 percent — of the student body to cast a vote this year.

That’s too small of a representation. Oakland’s student body can and should do better.

The two platforms, while they may share some similarities, also have many differences. The candidates’ proposals will have an impact on many facets of student life.

Will you let that be dictated by three out of every 50 students? Would you let it even be dictated by three out of 20?

Or will you decide it’s worth the few minutes of effort to check a box on a ballot, giving your vote to the candidates whose views most closely match yours?

It’s easy to find out the platforms of the candidates. Advertisements, social media and this very newspaper have can all help keep you informed.

Voting is also neither difficult nor time-consuming. If you’re an OU student, you can vote.

The polls will be open March 18-20. If you’re on campus one of those days, vote. If not, vote online www.oakland.edu/voteou

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The staff editorial is written weekly by members of The Oakland Post’s editorial board.