Today at noon begins the process of selecting the next president and vice president of Villanova’s Student Government Association, as well as senators for the individual colleges.

Unlike the archaic system this great nation employs where a person is required to leave the comfort of his or her desk chair, Villanova allows its students to voice their opinions at the click of a button. Sometime around noon, all students will receive an e-mail with a link and directions on how to vote. No hanging chads at this school.

While Villanova does have a relatively high turnout percentage because of its online voting system, many students will still choose not to vote. Some will inevitably say that they believe student government does nothing and do not care who wins the election.

Whoever wins today’s election will not be able to bring home the troops from Iraq, spark growth in the economy or save the environment.

However, they may very well be able to influence the core curriculum at Villanova, affect how basketball tickets are distributed and rework shuttle times to be more student-friendly.

They could convince the administration to install a sensible print system in the library – without asking the senior class to pay for a service that should be included in tuition. They may even work with the athletics department to ensure that when students show up an hour before Hoops Mania starts, they don’t get turned away.

To be completely frank, many things do not get solved over night. Even universities like Villanova, that are not incredibly big, still have a lot of people that need to be convinced when something should change. This is a fact that will not change. However, student government still has the ability to influence the future of the school.

Many of us would be happy if before we got here, someone told the administration that the library’s print system is awful. However, when we use the weekend shuttle to the mall or pick up a newspaper in Bartley, it is because someone did just that. We may not know everything that our Student Government Association does, but it works hard to address the problems that our school faces.

For the many who are reading this column online, look for that e-mail about SGA elections. For the hard copy readers, go back to your computers.

Everyone should take a few moments to look at the candidates’ accomplishments and platforms.

Consider whether or not they will be effective in reaching out to the administration, and if they will continue to work even if an immediate solution is not possible. Based on all of that, make a decision.

Then, next time one of your friends goes off to that weekly SGA meeting to talk about who-knows-what, give your friend a pat on the back on behalf of the future Villanovans who will go to four Hoops Manias and print with ease in the library.

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Ryan Bendinelli is a senior political science major from Millington, N.J. He can be reached at [email protected].