Marcus Roberts
Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Media Services

New SGA Officers - The news officers are (from left) Vice President Christopher Allen, a senior middle-level education major from Tuscaloosa, Ala.; President Landon Grimes, a junior English major from Monticello; Treasurer Billy Huggins, a sophomore criminal justice major from Monticello; and Secretary Ben Higginbotham, a junior speech major from El Paso.

   The Student Government Association recently announced its new officers for the 2007-2008 school year. The new officers are as follows: 

• Landon Grimes, president
• Christopher Allen, vice president
• Ben Higginbotham, secretary
• Billy Huggins, treasurer

   The officers will serve a term of one academic year. 

   Recently rumors began circulating that some candidates began campaigning before the official campaign time, using the popular Web site Facebook.com.  

   Director of Student Programs and Activities Lindsey Kight said SGA heard the rumors and looked into the matter, but the election results will remain. 

   The SGA constitution states that students cannot campaign before one week prior to the elections. Elections took place April 17, so the earliest students could begin their campaigning was April 10. Some candidates allegedly began campaigning as early as March 29. 

   Kight said SGA was not prepared for the possibility that students might use Web sites to campaign. 

   “With technology moving the way it’s moving, it takes us a little while to catch up,” Kight said. 

   The SGA constitution, revised fall 2002, does not address the use of the Internet for campaigning purposes. Kight said actions are being taken to ensure something like this does not happen again. 

   “When the constitution was written, (social networking sites) were not an issue,” Kight said.