Vice President Yador running unopposed for SA president

Student Association Vice President Dela Yador will run uncontested for the SA presidency in three weeks on the only full ticket in the upcoming election.

Yador's party, Elevation '05, includes candidates for president, vice president, treasurer, and the four SUNY SA delegate positions. The four-person Reform Our Campus party will challenge Elevation '05 for delegate seats.

There are also two independent candidates for treasurer and one independent for delegate. Petitions to run in the election were due Wednesday.

With Yador running for president, the rest of his party rounds off with Sonia Kang for vice president, Mazin Kased for treasurer, and Peter Rizzo, Brittany Shapiro, Laura London and Mercedes Tavarez for SUNY SA delegates.

The members of the Reform Our Campus party - Matt Pelkey, Elizabeth Salzman, Robin Padliya and Francisco Baiocchi - are running only for delegate positions.

Corey Robinson and Mike Telesford are each running for treasurer as independents, and Jason Rivera is running independently for delegate.

This year's election will take place from March 29 to March 30. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Last year, five students ran for SA president and only four ran for delegate positions. Paul Balzano, director of SA student affairs, said he doesn't know what to make of the lack of presidential candidates, but the number of delegate candidates was unexpected.

"I am surprised about SUNY SA, and I am pleased with the interest," Balzano said.

The candidates themselves are not allowed to make any public statements until campaigning starts on March 20. After campaigning starts, the candidate will look for endorsements from The Spectrum, Generation magazine and the various SA club councils.

With just nine days to reach 18,000 undergraduates, the whole election process could seem rushed, but SA President Anthony Burgio said he doesn't agree with that perception.

"I don't think any other efforts outside of just publicizing the petitions, endorsements, and the election would increase voter turnout," Burgio said.

In Burgio's opinion, Yador's lack of opposition indicates "a lot of people realize now that you can't just be a random inexperienced student and be realistic about doing a good job."

Burgio said he doesn't mean to discourage students from getting involved in SA, but "voters have answered negatively to people who have wanted to change a system that's working fairly well."

The lone presidential candidate could also indicate a lack of interest, Burgio said, but if that were the case, then there wouldn't be so many people running for treasurer and delegate.

Burgio added that last year there was a factor that increased presidential candidate turnout. When Generation magazine ran a story about an alleged SA financial scandal, it allowed several new candidates to emerge as the anti-Burgio, he said.

Having been a SUNY SA delegate, treasurer and president, Burgio said his best advice for all the candidates is to "understand what you're getting into, understand this isn't a resume-building opportunity. It's a lot of work, often under-appreciated, and definitely underpaid."

"If you're in it for personal gain, you're in for a sobering experience," he added.

After setting a record voter turnout last year with about 3,000 students, Burgio said he hopes to set a new record at the end of the month.

"Come out and vote this year," he said. "I would encourage the student body to take advantage of that opportunity."