An overwhelming amount of support was shown this week during Homecoming.
Yet, the weekend did not end without a slew of controversy as many claimed the online ballots for Homecoming elections were tampered with.
Students are now coming forward stating they were aware of people asking for other students M-numbers to cast online votes.
The Wichitan has heard numerous stories from students, who wished to not go on the record, about seeing fellow students asking friends for their student ID numbers through text messages and even during class.
Are people that desperate for their organization, friends or even themselves to win that they would go against their core values?
We would like to be optimistic and think this situation would never happen at MSU, but that would be naive.
The Wichitan has evidence that can be seen on page three that at least one student sent a mass text to their contacts asking for student ID numbers to vote for Homecoming.
If this person didn’t actually end up going through with casting the votes, the fact that a student would even think about cheating ruins what Homecoming is all about.
The entire nature of what Homecoming stands for has been compromised.
Students have taken this healthy competitive activity and turned it into something disgusting.
This year, tradition and the integrity of what it is to be homecoming royalty has been tainted.
It is sad when something divides students so personally.
Based on personal actions, this institution and the history it holds has been destroyed.
Furthermore, why would personal values even be risked to win, when the prize is something so insignificant that no one will remember who won it 20 years down the line?
Then we went a little deeper and asked members of campus Greek organizations why winning Homecoming would be so important to someone that they would cheat?
The answer was simple.
It can be used as a selling point when it comes to recruitment.
Saying to rushees that your sorority or fraternity won Homecoming King or Queen the previous year just might be that extra push they need to want to join a chapter.
Also, it is obvious that winning Homecoming gives major bragging rights.
With all of the drama and speculation about the cheating scandal, many students took to Twitter and Facebook to voice their opinions.
“The amount of disrespect I’ve seen between organizations on MSU’s campus this semester makes my stomach hurt,” one student wrote on Twitter.
Let the Facebook and Twitter wars begin.
Through the Wichitan twitter account, we witnessed some back and forth between members of Greek organizations that can only be described as catty and unnecessary.
Are people aware that everyone can see what is shared via social media?
Everybody should think twice before hitting the send button.
Then again, everyone should also think twice before supposedly participating in questionable activity that may or may not have involved cheating.
What’s done in the dark always comes to light, as they say.
It will be interesting what kind of modifications we will see in the future.
The Student Government Association should investigate the claims made by students and we hope they do this in a timely and honest manner.
Whether or not cheating went on during the election, without evidence the title of Homecoming King and Queen should stay with Zach Davis and Lacy Talley.
