SGA and SIFE gear up for elections

 Each spring, SGA plans and prepares for another round of elections. This voting season, though, elections will take on a different face than years past. In order to encourage students to vote, SGA has teamed up with SIFE to market the elections.

     SGA President, Josh Kohnhorst, a junior business education major from Tomah, Wis., said, "Overall, the main goal for this project is to market our spring elections for full government."

     Though students have show interest before, SGA is hoping for more. 

     "Last year, we began using more formalities and incorporated forums, but this year we want to reach the students in more ways than just sending an email," Kohnhorst said.

     More specifically, though, SGA is hoping to increase student voting.

     "We are hoping to increase student voter turnout five percent; right now, it's at 18 percent and we are hoping to see it reach 23 percent," continued Kohnhorst. "There was a big increase in voting from 2009-2010, but as president, I want to bring it even higher with more students voting." 

     In order to do this, SGA decided to collaborate with SIFE, Students in Free Enterprise, to market the elections in a new and interesting way.

     "I haven't heard much of student groups collaborating together like this, so we're trying it," said Kohnhorst about the groups' working together. "SIFE knows about marketing and connecting with people." 

     "SGA came to SIFE in order to create a ‘branding' for the upcoming student elections," said David Sokolik, the SIFE representative for this project and a junior business administration and marketing major from La Crosse.  "This will be a multi-part process, including the creation of a logo and using communications messaging that can be used year after year by SGA."

     "In this way, we will do the work this year to establish a foundation that will continue to grow year after year," Kohnhorst said. "We want students to be able to recognize when SGA elections are taking place." 

     In order to do this, SIFE decided to use a logo of a hand as a symbol of election time. 

     "The hand represents students," said Chelsey McCoy, a sophomore marketing and visual communications major from Brookfield, Wis. and a member of SIFE and a sophomore representative for SGA. "Every student has a hand in changing something; they can vote. We are hoping the students will begin to associate the hand logo with SGA voting."  

     SIFE will place the hand around various places on campus, including the TV screens, online, windows, bulletin boards, sidewalks, and other places that might get people's attention.

     McCoy also mentioned that SIFE is considering using tee shirts and buttons and purchasing special tablecloths with the SGA and hand logo for the polling stations. In addition, the two groups are working on putting messages and poll questions on-line for students to gain awareness of elections and get their voices heard. 

     The two groups are hoping the hand logo around campus and the poll questions will spur student interest, so when it comes time for elections, students will be excited and prepared. 

     "We really want to create a sense of empowerment among the students and encourage them to express ideas, attend the election forums, and partake in elections," mentioned Sokolik. 

     In addition to increasing student voting, the two groups are also pursuing an environmentally sustainable project.

     "We are hoping to use no paper at all," McCoy said. "And we're going to try and re-use this method of marketing over and over again."  

     SIFE's goal is a reflection not only of the values of Viterbo, but also of SGA. 

     "SIFE's mission to be environmentally sustainable is great," Kohnhorst said. "I commend their group for understanding the need to be sustainable and helping us to market our elections in that same fashion."

     "This was an exciting and challenging  project involving the collaboration of both SGA and SIFE and the encouragement of student empowerment as well as the challenge of running a paperless promotion," said Sokolik of his experience. 

     Similarly, McCoy commented, "It's exciting to work together because I haven't heard of many groups working together."

     "Both groups are very goal-driven, so I'm certain we can achieve our goal of a five percent increase," stated Kohnhorst. "I am really thankful that SIFE is helping out and it's been great to see all of the ideas so far. I can't wait to see how it turns out!"