The student senate presidential and vice-presidential elections took place the week of Nov. 7, and marked the long-standing tradition of campus politics at IWU.
This edition of “Argus of the Past” features a one-panel cartoon from a Feb. 19, 1971 issue of “The Argus” which provides some humorous insight into a student senate election that took place 50 years ago.
“El Rubio,” drawn by an unknown student, features what is presumed to be an IWU student exclaiming his surprise at the level of participation in the student senate presidential-primary election.
It reads: “Candidates?! Voters?!? In a Primary?? What happened to good ol’ IWU apathy and indifference?”
Posted on the wall behind the student are election results that indicate 44.2 percent of the school voted in the primary, which included 57.4 percent of sophomores and 53.3 percent of juniors.
There were three candidates for student senate president in 1971, which necessitated a primary election to narrow the pool down to two.
Don Logue and Ben Keylin emerged as the two presidential candidates in the primary. Logue went on to win the presidential election in a landslide 574-228 vote victory over Keylin. 49.4 percent of the student body cast a vote in the final presidential election.
This year’s student senate election might inspire reactions similar to that of the fictional IWU student from 1971, since last year’s student senate presidential election had only one candidate.
Could this mark a period of more widespread political interest and participation on campus compared to recent years? We’ll know for sure once student votes are tallied next week.