Members of the NIU Gay/Lesbian Union are preparing for next year by electing new officers for the summer and fall.

GLU members, students, or DeKalb citizens can vote on Tuesday for candidates running for leadership over the GLU.

“The format for these elections will be much more structured compared to some past elections,” said David Huggins, co-president of the GLU.

Following the nominations held two weeks ago, candidates for the summer and fall semesters were chosen. The candidates for the summer semester are Huggins, Jennifer, Theresa Brown, and Sonya. The fall semester candidates include Huggins and Cory. (Some candidates did not wish to disclose their last names.)

The election process will begin with a reading of the GLU constitution and proof that each candidate’s GPA is over 2.0. All candidates will be given five minutes for their speeches, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer period, and then a 10-minute open forum.

The final vote will count as long as the total includes a 51 percent student majority.

“Last year, the turnout totaled about 35 people, which is a good turnout for us,” said Huggins.

Huggins said he is pleased with the progress the GLU has made this semester in terms of visibility, but he feels there is more work to be done.

“We want to keep GLU as visible on campus as we can, not in an offensive way, but as a more social and involved group,” said Huggins.

Another goal is to make Gay Awareness week a yearlong event in order to continue educating the public about homophobia, Huggins said.

“People tend to become ignorant of things they do not know everything about,” Huggins said.

Editorial letters printed in The Northern Star have also helped the cause by making people more aware of the problem, Huggins said.

“We have found that most of the letters since mid-March have been in our defense, which is good,” Huggins said.

The elections will be held April 30 at 9 p.m. in Holmes Student Center Room 305.