Elections for Student Government are here, and for many students, spring brings disappointment for those who hope there will be changes made to school policy.
Students only have a vague memory of what candidates actually look like, let alone the name of who is running. As time runs down to elect the next student council, the majority of students do not vote.
The majority of the student community is disconnected and unaware when it comes to participating in student policy. The small effort of the ASO (Associated Students Organization) to inform and educate the students usually goes unsung.
It seems the reason people are so disconnected with their student representation is that they honestly feel that the student government has no immediate effect on campus lifestyle. Changes and improvements that have been made on behalf of the students can easily go unnoticed and can become irrelevant because there is no immediate recognition of it, unless one is on the school website every day engaged because they are in the student government or they know someone.
Other than that, the general student couldn’t care less. They would rather know about food, games or social media.
The people we elect to run our student government need to be more connected with the student base. Engaging more with students on a more personal and intimate level can really change the atmosphere of what voting can be.
Imagine an invitation to an outdoor barbecue that would host all of potential candidates. They speak a little about themselves; inform changes and improvements that need to be done with food and music playin. Creating a personal connection for those few minutes, in the end, will spread the word on the new voting ceremony which could be an anticipated event. People would Tweet, Facebook and Instagram the place to be.
Instead, ASO voting has come and gone, and most studemts haven’t had a clue.
And even if studemts did vote, will they actually see the impact of of their choices?
Notices should be posted throughout the year that list all new policies implemented. This would be a friendly reminder of the important role all students make.
