A public iCyte file has been created with the relevant documents here.

So by the numbers, according to the Ticker:

• 2007 USG election – 1,771 students voted
• 2008 USG election – 874 students voted
• Online Voting:  2008 Student Activity Fee Referendum 2,357 students voted
• Online Voting:  2009 USG election: 2,494 students voted

In a Ticker article by Kerri Jarema, Baruch Director of Student Life Carl Aylman reports that the Student Election Review Committee decided to continue to use online ballots, but doesn’t say exactly why that decision was somehow changed.  The BFP has reached out to Ms. Jarema for comment.

If you read the afore-linked article, it doesn’t make much sense, but I assure you that’s not Ms. Jarema’s fault.  Carl Aylman can really throw a guy for a loop:  in a meeting which he knew and consented to my recording, he explained to me me that the reason that students needed to have the power to censor other students was because “a gay sex ring” was once found to be operating out of the graduate student newspaper.  He then emailed me about the First Amendment rights of those students who were censoring other students.  No, it doesn’t make sense.  None, whatsoever.  However, as an openly and obviously gay man and I took great offense to a comment so unbelievably insensitive, especially in a school prized for its diversity.  I’m gay and I don’t even know what a “gay sex ring” is.  So incoherent babble is something Mr. Aylman is good at, and most likely confused Ms. Jarema by simply opening his mouth.  Here’s what the guy had to say in a Ticker article about the resounding success of online voting after last year’s USG election with a reported 2,500+ votes cast: “There’s no sanctity of a voting booth. You have thousands of voting sites. Votes were between you, God and the machine.“  Who is this kook and why is this man in charge of anything at Baruch College?

Unfortunately, everyone in USG, and The Ticker, has to kiss Mr. Aylman’s ass for obvious reasons.  I didn’t then, and I won’t now.  He did not apologize when I called him out for his remark in later exchanges.

Were you as shocked to see that there were three voting booths for 16,000+ students?  If 2,500 students were to vote this year spread out perfectly even throughout the day, that would be 625 students voting per day, 78 students per hour at the allotted 3 voting machines.  That gives you 2 minutes and 18 seconds to cast 47 votes, 1 of which will increase your student activity fee by $25 per semester.

Did you know there was a referendum on the ballot to increase your student fees by $50 a year?  I only learned that last Thursday.

Sound off in the comments.

*Update: According to FixBaruch, 526 students voted Monday.  Wow!