Despite 2011-12 ASG accomplishments, government needs reform

With the conclusion of Associated Student Government president and vice president elections Thursday night, The Advocate would like to congratulate the upcoming ASG president and vice president and take this time to put forward our two-cents about expectations for the coming year.

Having kept a watchful eye on student politics, we would like to endorse the traits we hope to see in next year’s ASG officers, as well as the trends from this and past years that we would like to see continue.

To begin, here are some of the trends we applaud. One of the major improvements spearheaded by ASG this year was the expansion and continued support of Barney’s Pantry. In the Finance Council, ASG put forward $4,000 to renovate Barney’s Pantry and also added donation sites in the Bookstore to collect additional funds for students in need.

Another feather in ASG’s cap has been the advocacy and championing of the marginalized and under-represented on campus. This was partially achieved through support of Barney’s Pantry but also through the beginnings of a diversity resource center. We may have been skeptical at first, but after getting a clearer picture of the vision of ASG to help every aspect of diversity on campus, whether gender, age, religion, ethnicity etc., we commend ASG’s efforts here. While the center is not currently realized, the fact that it is in the works is definitely a boon to ASG.

There are, however, some areas we feel ASG could work on.

Heightened transparency is one area which needs improvement. ASG has a lot of influence in the aforementioned Finance Council and usually has the funds for a new project or to renovate or otherwise support a program on campus. As these funds flow from the student fee account, we as students would like to know exactly how these funds are to be used. In The Advocate’s role as “watch-dogs” on campus, we feel the rest of the student body should be privy to such information as well. So, when research is conducted and plans drawn up, we would like that information to be readily and easily accessible by all students.

Next, the candidacy packet given to and filled out by candidates, states that ASG president and vice president are required to attend Board of Education meetings, yet we have noticed the lack of ASG presence at more than one meeting. Yes, life happens and emergencies pop up now and again. However, as a required duty, we feel that the ASG president and vice president ought to fulfill that obligation consistently and be held accountable for multiple unexcused absences.

Another constructive change would be higher visibility. This can be hard to achieve with conflicting class schedules and the many meetings and councils that ASG president and vice president attend. However we feel that as they represent the students, the ASG president and vice president ought to more fully immerse themselves in the student body. Pop in to different program workrooms and talk with students to see how the program is doing and show up at club meetings and events to check in with them. There is nothing wrong with being a politician of the people, especially in a school setting.

In addition, events for students are one of the most powerful and engaging ways for student government to interact with students and build bonds. The Advocate does its part in covering events on and off campus and we see a need for more effective, and dare we say, aggressive advertising of events. Getting ten students to attend an event is not as effective and empowering as having, say, fifty engaged and even entertained students. More than just posters, why not put bookmarks with a brief calendar of events in textbooks at the bookstore, ask instructors of math, writing and science classes to give shout-outs at the beginning of classes for upcoming events and utilize social media to “blow up” someone’s timeline or news feed.

Lastly, the need to lobby for student rights is an annual platform for candidates. When in office, many ASG officers do indeed make the trip south to Salem to lobby on the student’s, behalf. We at The Advocate feel that these trips could have more impact with more student participation. So, as the primary student representatives from our school, we would like to see ASG take the initiative to encourage other students to accompany them on their lobbying trips, or to encourage them to lobby for issues via phone, mail or email. Leading by example is a great tool for leaders, so let’s have ASG follow that practice.
On the whole, it takes a lot to represent an entire student body, however both constructive criticism and accolades go hand in hand with public office. With the above in mind, we at The Advocate hope for the 2012-2013 ASG officers to lead us, the students, to bigger and better things on campus next year.