My dad has a saying that he has used for as far back as I can remember. As a former lineman for Coach Bryant, it’s safe to say football has been a significant part of his life. Anytime Dad knows that someone is exaggerating the truth, dancing around a question, misstating information or implicitly committing a wrong and knows that no one else will speak up, he “throws the flag,” often literally throwing a handkerchief in the middle of a meeting. In football, a flag gets you a costly yardage penalty.

Imagine if life worked that way. On what would you throw the BS flag?

Tuesday’s SGA elections were a prime example of when we should all stand up and throw the flag. Why was the election period extended? Was it extended to ensure certain Greek organizations had time to check that their members voted correctly?

Or did certain powers-that-be see that their opposition was surging and needed the extra time to mobilize more votes? Why did the Machine candidates deny prior knowledge of a donated flier listing members of the “Students for Experienced Leadership Group,” and yet were seen dispersing copies to students?

The students of The University of Alabama deserve an explanation to these questions and total transparency in the election process, especially in light of the flawed Tuscaloosa municipal elections. One marred election is bad enough; two in one academic year is cause for substantial widespread concern.

We all know that SGA elections are routinely filled with shady tactics and backdoor deals, but there has been no better time to stand up and question the inbred politicking that occurs in “our” Student Government Association than this year. My fellow students, I implore you to stand up and throw the flag on this one – the instant replay could be quite entertaining.

Alex Morris is a junior majoring in music performance.