When we enter college, we become a part of an institution that encourages self-awareness through reflection, intellectual growth with academia and civic responsibility by voting. By expressing our political opinions, often for the first time, we situate ourselves gradually within the national political landscape. We begin to see ourselves as voters, constituents and members of a demographic and slowly, but surely, we become more and more adamant about the ideologies with which we align ourselves: Democrat or Republican, pro-choice or pro-life, big government or local government.
As we walk the road toward political awareness, we often skip the parts surrounding state and local governments. Yesterday, Maricopa County recorder Helen Purcell predicted only 30 percent of voters would vote in Arizona’s state primary, according to KSWT News. When it comes to our local governments, it would appear that we either don’t know very much or we don’t care very much. Why are local politics neglected, when national politics undergo such heated debate, polarizing students left and right?
When it comes to politics, there is one organization even closer to us than our local government — our Undergraduate Student Government. USG represents ASU’s student body as a whole, with body governments on all four campuses. They serve the student body by allocating funds to student groups, advocating for students in the Arizona Legislature, hosting political speakers and putting on entertaining events.
At the beginning of every year, USG struggles to fill its Senate seats, even though it heavily advertises its positions through its various media outlets. They eventually are filled, but as a result, each school — W.P. Carey, Barrett, CLAS, etc. — suffers a delay in adequate representation when the Senate passes bills or appropriates resources to various clubs because seats aren't immediately filled. There is no transparency within the decision-making process, as students have no say in the production of events even though they can cost thousands of dollars. Without student opinion, USG members can go full-force on any idea they deem appropriate for students. There is no outlet or public hearing, in which students can voice their concerns.
Even worse, all the existing executives on Tempe ran unopposed last spring. Whether student voters showed up at polls or not, the three candidates were guaranteed spots as president, vice president of policy, and vice president of services, respectively.
While we battle for adequate state representation in Congress, where were we when our own student government needed representation? When we argue for funds for public education, social services and programs, where were we when our school needed guidance? We pride ourselves in the vehemence with which we stand by our beliefs on controversial issues, and yet we have no strong feelings toward the governmental body that affects our daily lives on campus.
It may be a while until we may implement serious change in Washington, but why not start small? Let’s become more involved with our own student government, taking an active approach, rather than a passive one.
Speak up. Be heard.
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