Despite 56 percent opposition to a new fee, Student Body President Jordan Johnson and Alex Cornillie, the Renew Your Reitz campaign spokesman, say that the issue of a fee to pay for Reitz Union expansion is not off the table.
One of the reasons given is that “the vote may not represent the will of the entire student body.” However disappointing a turnout of 10,000 students may be to Johnson and Cornillie, these are mostly the same students who elected Johnson. If Cornillie really thinks that election results can be disregarded because a majority of non-voting students would have supported his position, then I question his understanding of democratic elections, as well as statistics.
Besides, if low turnout somehow makes an election’s results illegitimate, then our newly elected Student Government officers should resign pending another election that better reflects their interpretation of the Student Body’s desires.
