No, this is not about the forthcoming election to the House of Representatives, this one is far more interesting and capricious.
When I visited the good old UCB Campus yesterday afternoon (I am always there a couple of hours if I have nothing else to do) I witnessed great excitement and ruckus near Sather Gate (the entrance gate in green copper) and Sproul Placa (the court between the administration building, with its high pillars, and Sproul Hall). I thought first, like you – admit it – that a general election was in motion. But it was of course the election to the governing body of ASUC, the UCB student body.
Quite unlike elections to student representatives in Sweden, which used to be discrete, almost invisible affairs, at least in my times, this one is taken serious and is being organised quite like state and federal elections. Lots of candidates fight for the post of president and seats at the Senate. Although there are parties like back home, it is the persons that count and this shows in the verve with which the candidates are being presented or present themselves.
That notwithstanding, good humour prevails and everyone seems to be having great fun. I was drawn into the general excitement when observing two candidates practising a version of Californian line dance. Observing my vain efforts to get this on camera, they forced me to participate and I even learned a new dancing step or two. Fortunately, none of this is documented on film, so it can stay our secret.
When I visited the good old UCB Campus yesterday afternoon (I am always there a couple of hours if I have nothing else to do) I witnessed great excitement and ruckus near Sather Gate (the entrance gate in green copper) and Sproul Placa (the court between the administration building, with its high pillars, and Sproul Hall). I thought first, like you – admit it – that a general election was in motion. But it was of course the election to the governing body of ASUC, the UCB student body.Quite unlike elections to student representatives in Sweden, which used to be discrete, almost invisible affairs, at least in my times, this one is taken serious and is being organised quite like state and federal elections. Lots of candidates fight for the post of president and seats at the Senate. Although there are parties like back home, it is the persons that count and this shows in the verve with which the candidates are being presented or present themselves.
That notwithstanding, good humour prevails and everyone seems to be having great fun. I was drawn into the general excitement when observing two candidates practising a version of Californian line dance. Observing my vain efforts to get this on camera, they forced me to participate and I even learned a new dancing step or two. Fortunately, none of this is documented on film, so it can stay our secret.The voting has already begun and will continue until tomorrow. I managed to sneak into the “command center” of the student voting committee and could document the serious clergymen present at their work. The center should actually be fully manned, but lunch had lured all but a few away, leaving those to keep the fort in the mean-time.
