Oftentimes, in my column, I advocate a policy change or critique an administrative policy. Yet, to paraphrase Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. or Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., my column is mere words, and words never changed anything. However, you, the reader, can by running for a Student Government position.
There are important policy issues we as a university community need to address, including participation in the rank and tenure process, redistributing the parking burden or extending fitness-center hours. These important issues cannot happen without your active participation and leadership in our Student Government process. Currently, the SG is soliciting names to run for AUSG government positions, and in the future will be soliciting names for the AUCC chairman position, RHA positions or the Student Trustee. It's fairly easy to engage in this process; students should attend one of Student Activities informative workshops, file the paperwork and bring their best ideas - or their biggest complaints - to the table.
For those of you who complain that your favorite musical group hasn't come to campus (Barry Manilow, anyone?), or that you weren't able to get a ticket to see Jerry Springer, or that you don't know where your student activity fee goes, this is your opportunity to help change that. I implore the cynical, uninterested, nervous or timid student to go out and become involved.
Last year, the student body was treated to a very simple election with few choices. Student leaders ran unopposed or with token opposition. This cannot be the case this year. Students deserve many different choices in their student leadership, and the campus needs an infusion of new ideas and new paradigms to help change the way that we currently operate. Too often, our student leaders are content to do the things the same way they always have simply in the name of "tradition." Worse, the lack of candidate variety just creates perpetual inbreeding of former "SG insiders." Thankfully, we have been spared this by having SG outsiders like Ashley Mushnick and Kyle Taylor lead the SG.
The student body must question our current practices, not because they are necessarily wrong, but because they can always be better. Do students really want a Wednesday-night social program in the Tavern? Would they rather have Tuesday-night programming? Or would it be better to take the money we spend on a lot of little events and pour it into one or two big events? Does the SG need to waste money on a shuttle service to CVS? Or are there other issues that are not currently being addressed by student leadership?
However, if you choose not to be involved in the electoral process, these ideas will never emerge. While only one person will actually win any one election, the ideas and concerns that you will share will no doubt be included into the SG's plan for the following year.
AU is a great institution of higher learning because of our brilliant faculty, our student-centered staff, our tireless administrators, our supportive alumni and, most importantly, you. AU has been blessed with an exceptional student body willing to offer its time, treasure and talent to our institution, to our community partners and to our hundred plus clubs and organizations. Will you take up the challenge and put the U into AU? If so, get yourself to an SG candidate workshop and file that paperwork.
Peter Brusoe is a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Affairs and a campus affairs columnist for The Eagle.
