It’s that time of year: Elections and campaigning. It seems to be taking off a bit slower than last year, but Oakland University is surely about to get hit with at least a month of avid campaigning for the positions of student body president and vice president.

With that said, there are a few things we want you to know.

The first is that you could in fact be OU’s next student body president or vice president. That’s right. Applications to run are right outside the OUSC office, located at 62 Oakland Center. These are positions that are open to anybody and, in our opinion, the more tickets running, the better.

So, consider it. And know that if you have questions about the responsibilities and duties of these positions, we would be more than happy to sit down and talk with you about it.

If you don’t think that running for these positions is for you, then we ask you in the next few months to simply become educated about the tickets who are campaigning, and then to vote in the election.

Last year, one of the most common questions that people asked us was, “Will it really make a difference who we vote for? Can OUSC even do anything?” We hope that we have shown you that OUSC does in fact have a lot of power, and that we have listened to what the students want and have made an impact.

So, yes; it does matter. And it is more important than ever to know who you are voting for, what their credentials are and what their short-term and long-term goals are to improve this campus.

Maybe you want to be involved with OUSC, but don’t want to be the president or vice president. Perfect. Right now is the most convenient time to become a legislator for next year. All you have to do is fill out one sheet of paper to put your name on the ballot.

This will ensure that you are a legislator for next year’s administration. These  applications are also outside the OUSC office. If you have questions about the responsibilities of a legislator, we are also happy to discuss this with you.

Try and embrace the next few months of campaigning. It means there are students who are passionate about OU, students who want to represent you and impact the school in some sort of way.

It is up to you how you want to be involved. At the very least, educate yourself and vote.