 I
like to vote, really.
I was raised by one of those families that voted in every election,
no matter how insignificant the office. More often than not, my
sister and I were dragged into the voting booth as well, so my mother
could point to each of the tickets, telling us what they were and
why she was voting the way she was. I’ve voted in every election
since 2000 and am proud of that fact.
So, when Student Government Association elections came up this year,
I went to do my duty. I figured it couldn’t be hard. I spent
all last year covering SGA for The Appalachian, and I thought I
had a good grasp on things.
Going online, I found out that we off-campus students had a field
of 20 candidates. That’s a lot, and they were short 19 candidates
this year.
The familiar names from last year were easy enough to decide on,
but that left most of the list as unknowns.
So I went to SGA and asked around.
A few of the names became more familiar “That person is so-and-so’s
girlfriend, and they’re so-and-so’s roommate, and as for
the rest, I really don’t know” a cabinet member, trying
their best to be helpful, told me.
Still not wanting to waste my votes, I waited, willing to give my
support to any off-campus candidate who took the effort to so much
as post a flier somewhere where I could see it.
No such luck. Facing the deadline, I voted for the candidates I
knew, and no others.
This whole experience, as well as covering SGA last year, has brought
me to this conclusion: SGA has some good people in it, but with
the current system, SGA does not work.
Unlike legislatures at the state level, SGA has no way to overrule
those who can ‘veto’ their legislation. This means their
effectiveness depends on two factors: the mercies of the administration
and if SGA can get the rest of the student body motivated.
The administration didn’t seek student input during the athletic
fee controversy last year, and ignored a just proposal by their
own traffic committee. Their willingness to listen is doubtful at
best.
SGA failed last year to rally popular opposition to the athletic
fee and a questionnaire done by The Appalachian found that most
students have very little knowledge of SGA.
Sixty percent of students live off campus, yet SGA has 39 senators
to represent the whole group. This is too many for even the most
informed student to really know their representatives, and SGA programs
like “Operation Outreach” have failed to change this.
The current SGA administration is planning to change the constitution,
but not beyond minor additions. That’s not enough.
I believe there are solutions to these problems, but they require
a total overhaul.
It’s time to get real. Find out where students live in Boone
and divide them into districts, two senators each.
Then bring in political parties. Students come to Appalachian with
no position on many campus issues, but they do come with political
persuasions.
Also, if the political parties on campus were connected to the senate,
they could more easily deal with the county political parties and
other activist groups, forming alliances that might actually give
student senators the clout needed to have an impact.
The above ideas aren’t perfect, but they’re a step in
the right direction. SGA needs some sort of massive change, and
soon. |
