So, what’s on your mind right now? You’re probably studying hard for midterms or finalizing your plans for Spring Break.
It probably hasn’t crossed your mind that on March 7 a handful of students will be filing as candidates for this spring’s Student Government election, and that they’re going to start campaigning for your vote the minute you get back from spring break.
The phrase “Does the SG even do anything?” is well known throughout our campus culture. Yet, we seem to forget when election season rolls around that the Student Government is a government of the students, a government that represents us.
Last year, the presidential race saw perhaps its most interesting lineup of candidates in a number of years.
Six students ran for SG President; four of them did not come from inside of the SG. Each had unique backgrounds and positions. The campaigns were vibrant and engaging and placed a renewed emphasis on student outreach.
Even so, only 1,804 students voted in the SG election last spring, representing less than 30 percent of the undergraduate student body.
It is disheartening that so few students can be bothered to care about who should represent them in their Student Government.
Like it or not, the SG is the most important and most influential student organization we have. It is responsible for the majority of the programming on campus; it provides vital services that students depend on; and it is more capable than any other student organization of effectively advocating on behalf of the student body for the implementation of our ideas and the rectification of our concerns.
The Student Government also receives 72 percent of the Undergraduate Student Activity fee funds. That means that each year, $105 of your money is allocated to the SG. Why would you not want to have a say in who is responsible for spending those funds?
Whether or not you think Student Government is visible or relevant, the truth is that its executives work tirelessly to keep the organization running and support its initiatives. They put in well over 20 hours a week to fulfill their responsibilities; they oversee over a dozen departments; and they are our representatives to the AU administration.
These are important jobs, and the students running for these positions deserve our attention and consideration.
In government, you get what you pay for.
If you would rather have a Student Government that is more responsive to you, then you need to get involved in this election. Watch the debate. Talk to the candidates. Find out about their positions, and make sure you tell them about the issues that matter to you. And, most importantly, vote. It only takes a few minutes, yet it is the most fundamental way that you can ensure that you have a voice in determining the leadership of your Student Government.
I ask all AU students to vote in this year’s SG election on March 27-28 and encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same.
I challenge the student body to have at least 3,000 of us vote, representing a 50 percent turnout. If we expect any less of ourselves, then we do not deserve to be considered among the most politically active campuses in the country.
I have written before about my affinity for the story of Mississippi civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer and his mantra, “If you don’t vote, you don’t count.”
It’s time that we live up to that mantra here at AU. Because, in the end, there’s no point in complaining about a Student Government that “doesn’t do anything” if you don’t do anything about it.
Douglas Bell is a junior in the School of Communication.
Disclosure: The author is the Producer of the 2012 SG Presidential Debate, co-presented by ATV and The Eagle.
