SA elections are coming soon. Any predictions on who will win the presidential race? Hard to say, right? It’s hard to predict something like that with this election, but here are some predictions: No. 1: voter turnout will be the lowest of recent elections, and No. 2: if NIU’s greek community supports one candidate in particular, he or she will win.

Why? Because there’s no greek candidate.

What does that have to do with anything? In the past, if there was any one rallying cry that got non-greeks out to vote, it was to vote against the greek candidate.

Since there’s no greek candidate this year, non-greeks won’t feel as compelled to cast their ballots. Greeks, on the other hand, will still turn out in their usual numbers to vote for the candidate of their choice. Those numbers will probably decide the election.

What’s that? Non-greeks don’t vote based solely on anti-greek sentiment? Yeah, right.

During a recent campaign (it doesn’t matter which one, that’s not the point) this columnist witnessed a crusader for the non-greek candidate handing out campaign fliers. With each leaflet he handed out, he urged the person to vote for his candidate because he was anti-greek.

Why do you think he would say that? Maybe … he knows non-greeks will mindlessly vote for a non-greek candidate just so the greek candidate won’t win? Just a thought.

Now that there is no greek candidate, what are you going to do? Geez, you might actually have to vote for the best candidate. Think you can handle it? That’s highly doubtful.

The problem seems to be one of ignorance. No, you’re not being called stupid, just uninformed. What do non-greeks ever see of greek life?

If you go to football games you see them out tailgating. If you go to Greek Row on the weekends, you see them partying.

What conclusion can you draw from that? The only one you can draw: greeks party all the time. Did you ever stop to think that the only time a lot of you see greeks partying is when you are out partying yourselves?

“All greeks are (fill in the blank)” is a very popular thing for non-greeks to say. However, when confronted by a greek they say things like, “You’re not like other greeks” or “Well, okay some are cool but most greeks are…”

Stereotypes like that are no different than such popular ones as all Italians are in the Mafia, all Irish people are alcoholics, all Columbians are drug dealers, all Hispanics are illegal aliens and all blacks are thieves.

Granted, greek-bashing is not on as high a plateau as racism but it makes just as little sense.

Recent elections weren’t based on who was the best person for the job, but rather on the fact that one was greek and one was not. Out of the last three SA presidents, the SA tried to impeach two of them. Doesn’t say much for the non-greek candidate does it?

Instead of believing what “everyone else says” why not look into things for yourself? It’s important to know what someone stands for in order to cast your ballot. Don’t let prejudices blind your judgment.

Hopefully this election will set a precedent so in the future people will actually vote for a candidate based on his or her worth and not because he or she is greek-a-phobe.

Be good.