 |
| Lauren Phillips is a political science major and writes 'Phill in the Blank' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. |
Surprise, surprise. It's not.
Any student who does not know the role of SGA should learn fast that it is the student voice on campus, responsible for making student issues known to faculty and administrators.
SGA has the reputation of trying things that never work, but members write legislation based on student concerns. SGA will not know what students want it to pursue if no one shows interest in the election.
Students have opinions on everything that goes on at Ball State. By bringing issues like eliminating Saturday finals and increasing student safety to the surface, SGA has worked toward making Ball State better serve its students.
Even if legislation SGA members draft is turned down by members of the University Senate, SGA is not responsible for setting policy. It is responsible for helping set the university agenda by starting discussions about student issues.
Without this body, there is no one representing the main source of funding for this university -- students.
For this reason, students should vote in the SGA election. A few minutes on the computer can help show SGA what students want their own government to do.
Voting is the only way to show administrators that the students actually care what happens at Ball State. No matter how many forums are held or complaints are phoned to the university, a student body that lacks participation in its own government election looks apathetic. In the 2002 election, around 10 percent of the student body voted. That sends a message to the administration: 90 percent of the students do not care about what SGA does.
This can deter faculty and administrators from looking at SGA as a viable governing body. When it comes down to making decisions, SGA will not be the voice of the students, it will be the voice of the students who voted. If only a fraction of students vote, faculty and administrators will not listen to SGA because they will assume students just don't care.
That thought is frightening.
Students have opinions about campus policy. By not voting, they are just showing they are too lazy to fight for what they want.
For students who think SGA does not do anything important for the university, it's time to put up or shut up. By not voting, students are waiving their right to complain about SGA's actions.
Students also shouldn't claim they do not understand the issues. Both slates have Web sites that explain what they stand for. The Web site for the Loving Slate is www.lovingslate.tripod.com. The Web site for the Manship Slate is www.votemanship.com. After viewing both Web sites, it only takes a few more minutes to vote.
By visiting www.bsu.edu/votebsu, one can click on the candidates he or she chooses to represent them.
It is that simple. All it takes is a computer with an Internet connection and a Ball State user name and password.
This is not a time-consuming process, but it is an important one. By voting, students will show the university that they will not sit back and watch their student government act.
Instead, they will be sending the message that they want to be heard.
Write to Lauren at lmphillips@bsu.edu
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
