I joined the Undergraduate Senate, at the behest of outgoing Secretary Colin Meiselman, when I transferred to American University.
I joined the body out of anger. I was incensed that the Senate was voting on what I deemed to be a pointless issue: criticizing Columbus Day and calling for an alleged "Indigenous People's Day," and I was determined to get the Senate to start focusing on issues that mattered to the students.
I leave the often-derided body feeling as though, despite what the naysayers believe, that the nearly fifty people with whom I served at some point and myself have succeeded in doing just that. We talked, we yelled, we debated (sometimes for a long time) and we did a great deal of good.
It is easy to criticize the Student Government for being "ineffective" or just "a bunch of people who are pretending to play politician." However, I have seen firsthand how inaccurate those statements are. My Senate seat allowed me to serve as a member on the Audit Committee of the American University Board of Trustees. I assure you all that those meetings were not "pretend" ? the decisions that were made in that room affect all the members of the AU community and were very "real."
There is also nothing "pretend" about appropriating $600,000 annually, and I had the privilege to serve as chair of the Budget Committee two years in a row. Balancing the needs and desires of 20-plus departments is never an easy task, especially when you consider how many things the Student Government does while at the same time not getting recognized for it.
I know that sometimes I would be a very unpopular member of the Senate. You can say what you will about my positions, I always believed that I was choosing truth over popularity, and I feel that the other members of the Senate did the same. As one of my favorite quotes goes, "there is truly never a wrong time to do the right thing." I think I did that while at the same time being firm, yet fair.
Finally, for those of you who still believe that the Senate (and the entire SG) is comprised of people who do not reflect your views or your values, I draw your attention to one of the great lines from that president we all wish we had, Jed Bartlet, who in The West Wing episode entitled "What Kind of Day Has it Been?" said, "Decisions are made by those who show up."
Steven V. Dalton
Senator, Class of 2010
