I don’t know about the rest of the students on campus, but nothing gets my heart thumpin’ like the drama surrounding student politics.

Oh baby, tell me your platform one more time!

Yes, it’s that time of year: the time when claws come out and promises get made. This year there are 14 candidates running for four positions on the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union. I pity the 10 downtrodden souls who will be stuffing their faces with comfort food after the results of the election come in, but they can’t all be winners.

There’s a lot of catty behaviour during the campaign. If you ever want to experience something totally bizarre, hang out on campus just after midnight on the day campaigning begins. It’s total poster mayhem. Few of the candidates talk to each other because they’re all focused on securing optimal placements for their posters — which, frankly, doesn’t matter in the long run.

It’s pretty difficult to focus on just one candidate’s poster in the Arts Tunnel when the candidates have covered every square inch available. It’s too bad none of our candidates are environmentally friendly.

Poster vomit aside, I cannot deny the USSU is extremely important to the U of S undergraduate student body.

Each year we elect individuals to represent undergraduate voices, and students should take this task seriously.

Being on the USSU is also a great job. It provides successful executive members with valuable life experience, not to mention the fact that it looks stellar on a resume.

However, it seems that more often than not students aren’t really invested in who wins or loses. Many students only become interested in the election when they have a friend running or because they know a guy who knows a girl whose sister is running. Is student apathy at an all-time high?

Maybe not, but consider this: more students voted in the summer U-Pass referendum than in the last USSU election. Isn’t that a bit sad? Without the USSU, the referendum wouldn’t have happened! In this case, the chicken definitely came before the egg — so let’s pay more attention to our chickens.

I hope it’s not too radical to suggest that students should care about their campus, including all of the individuals who provide services on campus. Even something as simple as Safewalk is put on by the USSU.

The Academic Advocacy Office is also relevant to student interests on campus. This isn’t elementary school anymore, folks. Mom can’t come and talk to your instructor because you failed your test. If you have a grievance with a professor or instructor, such concerns need to be taken to the AAO, which again falls under the umbrella of the USSU.

Student clubs, academic support systems, health plans and transit passes are all USSU territory. These are important aspects of student life!

I mean, you can’t even put up a freakin’ poster in the Arts Tunnel without a USSU stamp! They have the power, and we give it to them.

Use your vote; it matters.