And you wonder why students don’t get interested in Student Government?

It’s hard because much of the coverage that hovers around SG ends up being negative – presidents suing over who cheated in an election (2005), ticket sale scandals resulting in resignations (2008) and the SG president forwarding offensive e-mails to members of SG (2008).

Current SG president Tyler Montell, who to-date is scandal-free, wrote an entire column to combat these perceptions in Thursday’s Kernel. Once you get through the “hooray, go get em’ Cats” jive that Montell and Co. always pump out in their e-mails and letters, you find stories of re-opened libraries, an accomplished Green Fee, more SG funding, Dead Week proposals, all among other accomplishments.

Good job, SG. But you might need to pull aside a few of the up and comings. Montell ran unopposed, but this year’s three SG President hopefuls are causing a stir and going back and forth, bickering more than debating. We may see a recap of the knock-down, drag-out that came in 2005 when SG candidates sued each other for the position, one candidate citing that the other broke rules with spending – something like 15 dollars over the limit.

It’s hard to say where the bickering starts, so let’s just start in no particular order with the top three examples so far this spring of why students think SG is a popularity contest and waste of their interest:

• So, it started with a days-long finger-pointing showdown between Interfratnerity Council President Ben Duncan and candidate Colby Khoshreza and his supporters, who claimed that Duncan had unfairly changed the rules of the GPAC debate to favor candidate Ryan Smith.

  Referencing changes to how votes are distributed, the supporters lamanted that the new distribution based on the size of the Greek organization was less fair than the old two vote by organization system. But Smith still won the GPAC debate 61-21, hardly a close enough margin to make the rule changes matter when the endorsement for Smith finally came.

• SG presidential candidates Ryan Smith and Tyler Owen decided to opt out of a forum put on by the Student Health Advisory Council because both felt third candidate Colby Khoshreza was too close to the group.

Citing Facebook page endorsements by the group to Khoshreza, and his girlfriend being their president, Owen and Smith decided to stay home for the forum, which addressed a disappointing seven students later.

But at the time, Owen and Smith didn’t see it as an opportunity to express their views, concerns or experiences with students. They only thought SHAC’s involvement would bias the forum (maybe the questions would be directed in some sort of favorable pattern for Khoshreza?). In return, only seven people showed up to hear what was a pitiful example of a forum.

• And last, but certainly not least, the still spinning debate of whether or not Montell is wasting money with his plan to help students “accidentally learn” at an event by giving out free iPod Touches.

Basically, Khoshreza said while the iPods are somewhat effective, people aren’t going to go to an event they’re not interested in just for an iPod. He thinks the money, which is about $4,580, could be better spent.

Montell returns with an e-mail to the editorial board to further debate the issue with the blame-game. Montell points out that other groups have used iPod touches as incentives, and even attaches a photo of one such event’s poster (hosted by Colby Khoshreza), ironically enough shot on his own personal iPhone. After the Kernel investigated Montell’s claims, it turned out those iPods were donated. That is, student money didn’t pay for them.

So round we go, with more of the same. It’s likely we’ll see just another year where the Greek’s pick wins. Another year where the non-Greeks rarely pay attention. And sadly, another year where there are fewer stories like re-opened libraries and helpful Dead Week proposals, and more of the self-destructive, insignificant “news.”