Bias

I'll take a brief second to make a clarification that may be muddy. I am a writer for the Northern Iowan. The NI is an independent, student-run newspaper that has it's own governance wholly separate from NISG. I, Corey Cooling, am a student at UNI with no position in Kevin's NISG administration, and I am employed by the NI to write this blog. Everything in it is 100% my work and opinion, and the blog is not in any way supported by or sanctioned by NISG. If it was, I would refuse to do this. I'm upset at the notion that I somehow represent bias for/against NISG  or either of the tickets and that I have an agenda. 

I've heard the rumors that JT's supporters think I'm biased against them. That's fine. What they might not realize is that I don't matter. I could have endorsed either candidate last week or this, but I decided not to. Why? Because I don't matter. I got involved, poured my heart and soul into student orgs and NISG for a few years, but I'm done now. I know things about the Student Services Fee (SFC) because I got on the committee while I was running, thinking I'd be the chair someday as NISG President.  Now, all I've got left is this blog and a few committee meetings before I get replaced, and then I graduate in May. Pretty soon, one of the two tickets will be feeling the same way. 

With this blog, I've been hired to give my two cents and offer context from the experiences I've had doing this. I've also been paid to be honest about what I see, and I'm proud of what I've done so far. Some may say my coverage has been harder on JT than KR, and to a certain extent, I think that's true. I also think it's necessary to explain what I see, in the hope that JT and/or KR benefit from my analysis. I've been harder on JT because I want to make sure they've done the homework and understand what they're getting into. Anyone who wants to be the leaders of an organization they've never been a part of has to be able to explain why despite a lack in involvement, they don't have a lack of understanding. 

I also refuse to engage in a phenomena we see everywhere in modern journalism known as the "false balance." In an effort to avoid bias, coverage of both "sides" of an issue are brought up with equal representation, even if that's not the case in reality. Think of how climate change deniers get airtime on TV. In the same sense, I'm not going to play towards a false middle in evaluating the two Presidential tickets. If my coverage of JT has been harsher than KR, that's because I feel there is more JT needs to improve upon than KR. This season has been harsh, but it has been fair. I'm glad that neither ticket has resorted to mud-slinging, and I'd like to believe the analysis in this blog was impartial and as factual as possible. 

That being said, it's hard to compare the two tickets when they are speaking different languages. It's easier to critique JT on the stuff NISG has been trying to do for years to no avail. I'm not sure if their ICC idea is viable or even possible, but it's an idea. It shows they know involvement is an issue and a priority, a good thing. On the other hand, Katie, currently having a seat on the SFC, is able to speak at length about what she would do with that committee. She's earned this by being involved and volunteering her time and effort in order to learn all of this for several years now. How do I, as one blogger, compare and contrast these issues? It's hard, and even with an extra week of campaigning we don't really have much time to dive deep into issues, let alone get the tickets arguing on the same level.  

Going into the polls tomorrow morning through Wednesday night, I'm not sure what to think. It would be really sad if the voter turnout was lower, so please tell your friends to vote (again). At this point, I'm convinced that either ticket is capable for the office and putting together an excellent Cabinet. As current President Kevin will tell you, much of what you learn is on the job. I already know for a fact that they'll have an awesome Senate, who is already working on an agenda of their own.

Dear readers, I urge you to do nothing except read, think, and vote. No matter who wins, they will be the President/VP of the entire student body, and it's our duty as students to help and support them as best we can. I think it's a problem that NISG is too intimidating to the "average student", and that people may feel like NISG-ers are elitist, but when you actually get involved your perspective shifts dramatically. In reality, year after year NISG struggles to find students that actually care. Judging by last week's results, this race is about as tight as it can get and we're guaranteed some fireworks come Wednesday night. Please be one of the students that cares. Vote, stay informed, stay involved, and keep checking NISGElections.com for the latest in the last hours of campaigning.