Brian Tedder, Collegian

The Student Government Association (SGA) held their campus-wide elections on Wednesday and Thursday.

Students voted for candidates for SGA President, Student Trustee and Area Governments. Voting was held in all dining commons and the Campus Center.

Three questions were posed to students on the ballot, which regarded the availability of the People’s Market via YCMP, increasing student activities fees by three dollars, and increasing democracy on campus.

Some other issues included the student strike, fixing campus roads, increasing state funding in the hopes of decreasing student fees, fostering a safer campus environment, improving academic advising, returning the residence halls to students, and prioritizing student organizations.

UMass students could hardly walk through the Campus Center or dining commons without being asked to vote by campaign volunteers. Turnout and student opinions of the election were varied. Some students did their best to avoid the voting tables, while others went out of their way to vote.

The Campus Center had a “solid line of people all day long,” according to University of Massachusetts student Matthew Sloan, who worked the voting table.

The Berkshire DC had a similar turnout, according to tablers. The Hampshire DC, however, was busy only in the morning. There was not much of a line throughout the afternoon.

Students’ opinions on the election varied by their opinions on the issues at stake.

“I didn’t vote because I am not really concerned with any of the issues,” said UMass junior Kevin Igo.

Julian Vinocur, an avid supporter of Malcolm Chu and Lindsay McCluskey, was outside the Campus Center all afternoon and got mixed reactions from students he approached.

“I got some students who were really interested,” he said. “They were never informed about issues, like the strike.”

He also had some students who just brushed him off.

“I got some students who answered ‘no thanks’ to questions that required more detailed answers,” he said.

Students’ choice to vote or not was also based on how much they knew about the candidates.

“I don’t know anything about them and the only thing I know about the candidates is that they stand outside the DC,” said sophomore Jillian Elwell, who didn’t vote.

Erik Taber can be reached at [email protected].