It seems strange to think that the biggest change we’ve seen in politics since last November has been in voter enthusiasm.

Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election after the highest voter turnout since 1968. This came seven months after the highest turnout in the history of Oakland University Student Congress elections produced Steve Clark as student body president.

Therefore, it seems puzzling and disappointing that the low attendance at official events leading up the OUSC 2009 elections have indicated a voter turnout so small it would make a magnifying glass to do a double take.

For example, The Oakland Post reported that only about 15 people attended one of the debates and there was a “larger  but significantly less attentive audience” at another.

This is certainly not the fault of the candidates’ resumes. Between the four tickets, we see students active in campus fraternities, sororities, congress, sports and other organizations. Three of the four candidates for student body president have previous experience in OUSC.

This is in stark contrast to last year’s presidential race, in which OUSC outsiders Clark and Andrew Bashi finished a close 1-2 respectively, in front of OUSC member Jordan Twardy.

It couldn’t be the fault of the candidates’ transparency. Any OU student with a pulse could access the e-mail addresses, phone numbers and Facebook statuses of every ticket. The candidates have collectively done everything they can do short of inviting the Grizz to grandma’s Sunday dinner in order to get to know the student body. If you’ve been in the Oakland Center at all in the past month, chances are you’ve considered investing in a snowmobile to navigate their avalanche of requests for feedback.

Perhaps it has something to do with the lack of tangible or edible advertisements on campus this campaign season. Altogether, the amount of posters, banners, fliers and food bribing is noticeably lower than during the 2008 campaigns, which memorably bore witness to a barrage of advertising on sidewalks and an I-75 overpass.

“We really don’t want to spend more than maybe $20 on this campaign,” said vice presidential candidate Nick McCormick in the March 11 edition of The Oakland Post.

If voter turnout is directly influenced by advertising, we think that is a shame. Considering that Clark won largely on the benefit of word of mouth, it stands to reason that current candidates for OUSC positions should be so enterprising. It’s unlikely that any candidates for student office would have the funds for advertising like that of business-mogul politicians like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, nor do they get funding from the university for campaigning.

In these times of economic turmoil — when every tuition dollar should count for something ­— student voter participation should be at its highest, not lost in apathy.

If you are reading this paper on its published date of Wednesday, March 25, there is still time to vote on www.oakland.edu/voteou.

OUSC will announce the winners of the elections Friday at noon in the Oakland Center. We encourage you to attend whether you voted or not. If you cannot make it, stay updated at www.twitter.com/theoaklandpost.

It would be extremely disappointing to see such a tuned-in generation quieted so quickly.