Every year, students are forced to face the plight of the homecoming campaigners. While I’m sure the candidates and campaigners have the best intentions, being heckled daily is not on the top-ten list of students’ favorite things.
So, for all of the students who would like to make it through the next week with little interaction with homecoming campaigners, heed these suggestions.
Homecoming elections are Sept. 22 and 24. On these days, the sticker you get once you vote will help you.
While this is not a guaranteed way to avoid the chaos, it gives you some leeway. You can just point to the sticker and avoid being stopped or engaging in a longer conversation. The campaigners will thank you and move on to the next passing student.
This sticker will only be given once you vote on election days, so they will not help you if you choose not to vote or on the days leading up to elections.
Campaigners work in all of the main areas on campus. To avoid direct interaction, keep to the outskirts of campus. When this is unavoidable, there are a few precautions to take to keep interactions to a minimal.
Wear earphones and
sunglasses or avert eyes elsewhere to avoid eye contact. This should get across the message that you don’t want to socialize.
If they still attempt to stop you, tap your wrist to signal that you are running late and continue to power walk by. As a general rule, if someone passes you and is being abnormally friendly toward you, it’s safe to assume the conversation will lead to him or her asking for your vote.
On occasion, campaigners will ask what your classification is to ensure you are eligible to vote for the candidate they represent. If your classification is the same, tell them you’re in another class. Saying “sophomore” to junior maid campaigners is a shorter conversation than hearing why their candidate is ideal.
Getting stopped on campus isn’t the only way the campaigners will get to you.
Do you have social media? It’s 2015, so of course you do. Well, avoid it.
For the next week, fight the urge to logon to any of your accounts.
The majority of your feed on Instagram probably consists of flyers and profile pictures on Facebook are also candidate promotions. Even Snapchat isn’t safe from homecoming hopefuls. However, boycotting social media can be difficult, so you can also temporarily unfollow people who campaign.
Sure, you love them, but that love will still be there in two weeks when you no longer have to scroll through their homecoming posts and it is safe to reconnect them into your social media life.
While excessive homecoming campaigning can be overwhelming, remember that those students are only trying to help a friend and make the most of their college careers. If you do engage in conversation with campaigners, avoid the temptation to be rude.
Homecoming can be an exciting time of year. Once the voting part is over, it’s a great time for students to come together and show their love for Southern Miss.
