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The Cadre, March 30, I976, page IO

How, To Get

"Is there life after student government?" asked the hanging from the neck of one University of Texas reveler as he‘snorted a quick hit of laughing gas and rejoiced in his party's smashing victory in the recent elections .

The winner, himself, clad in a stovepipe hat, tails and sneakers, stepped around a fellow party member dressed like an inflated pumpkin and outlined one of his aims for the upcoming year. "We're going to tell the students

' abOut the regents," declared

U T student president-elect Jay Adkins. "These students will have to go out in the world and work for people like the regents. They need to know about them.

It was no ordinary victory party that night in Austin. But then, it was no ordinary student political party that was celebrating. The "arts and Sausages Party" is their name, anarchistic absurity is their game. Their motto (among others) is "you can hang us on the wall or eat us for lunch but don't throw us away?" Most suprising of all they now hold the two top student positions at the 42,000 student school.

Some of the Arts and Saus- ages' campaign promises include: turning the univer- sity health center into a "clinic of social acceptabil—i ity" which would provide

awry". .--‘r.“A‘

As might be expected, the Arts and Sausage platform was not well received by everyone involved. Assailed . by the student newspaper as well as their opponents for not taking things "seriously," Adkins and his vice-presid— ential partner Skip Slyfield

AreSponded by saying,‘"When

our opponents say "issue" we say "Gesundheit". But yet the Arts and Sau-

Igage party did one thing few

other student political groups are able toldo-they got students to come out and vote. Sixteen percent of

the UT student body cast bal- lots in this year's elections,- three times the usual nember for a similar large, state school, according to Frank Till, a National Student Association offical in Wash—‘ ington who closely follows the student government game across the nation.

"Normally, it's really low—around five percent," says Till. "It's really hard to figure out why." Actually voter turnout at UT is norm— ally higher than at other state schools, but the usual student response to the gen- erally powerless student governments is boreson at best. At the University of Minesota recently, it took

ithe outlandish "Tupperware lParty" to turn out even

2,223 voting students out of

euthanasia on demand and housea-Student POPU1at10n Of

a permanent hair removal fac—

ility as well as a sweat gland

relocation section. The UT

‘police.would b an Arts and Sausage administ-

‘ration, they said, and the

school would be protected by groundskeepers armed with wolverines. They would re— name the university "Fat City to go along with the slogan "Money Talks" and pay toilets would be installed in the faculty and administration restrooms. "Their number twos will make us number one, quips Adkins.

46,000 for a primary contest. Last year, a University of Minnesota student sparked a

e disarmed underbit of interest by running

on the "Pail and Shovel" ticket. His main gripe was that there were too many

‘gorillas on the Minneapolis

campus, and they were always

"cutting into cafeteria lines

and running amok on campus, ruining curbs. This year's "Tupperware Party" candidate promised to leave town if elected, like he did two

"years ago after a successful

bid for office at the Univ-

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Backages at the Disco

"ersity of Wisconsin at

Milwaukee. "Student govern- ment has always been considq: ered a joke around here," says the editor of the stud- “ ent paper, the Minnesota Daily. r '

0n the other hand, Till says students a expensive, private schools turn out in droves for student gov- ernment elections. "Even at the most apathetic campuses 35 percent will vote but usually at priv— ate schools it goes up to

_70 or 80 percent," he

explains. g Till feels many students tend to reflect the voting

'patterns of their parents,

and if this is true, stay—

ing home on election day

appears to be definitely

in vogue. ‘ . The UT's Arts and Sausages

duo recognized this dire sit—

nation. "This is an election

_exp1ains.

"Studen‘i Government -“Ble’ Wei-rd" v‘

year, it's dangerous to haVe - the mass of voters apathetic and bored about polotics," says President-elect Adkins.

"All our plans are dir- ected at getting excitement and energy in. >We're going to drag student government ' wailing and screeching into the streets where students can deal with it," he

"This is gonzo ploitics,

‘Adkins contunues. "We don't

want to tell students what to do. Students are big

jenough'to do what they

please." .4 Says vice—president Sly— field, "I976 is the year to be funny and creative. We're going to enlist cre— ative energy-" A Says outgrowing president Carol Crabtree, "It's a new approach to student

“government.”

Vi.

' 5

chose the pitching route and went on to win the game. When the game was over the kid

followed me to my car. Fight~

ing his hardest to keep back the tears, he apologized for his actions and thanked me

for umpiring the game. He said

he had learned a lesson that he would never forget. ‘

"I can't help but wonder ‘men are missing their chance to develop into outstanding

ballplayers because their par-

ents encourage them to spend _time umpiring, rather than ‘working harder to play the

game as it should be played." _

. how many more fine yOung

¥|t’s How You, Play com.

The following morning, Donald_Jenson died of a brain concussion.

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