Students should elect a 'serious' Senate
Issue date: 3/14/03 Section: Editorial
Yet another round of student government elections is upon us - sooner than expected, thanks to our current Senate's last minute date shuffling. By the time these words are in print, candidates will have showered this campus with campaign posters, stickers and handouts personalized and non-. Those of us not on the ballot will no doubt be straining to remember why we should even care.
From an outside perspective, Senate can seem like a superficial organization, a playground where a handful of go-getters get to play pretend policy-maker. Needlessly long debates, hollow endeavors and excursions into insignificant issues often eclipse any valuable service that our student government has to offer. Thus, senators are often accused of taking themselves too seriously, indulging their own senses of self-importance nearly to the point of pure narcissism. Don't we all remember the fiasco of last year's presidential election? This is just one of the more memorable examples of how petty school politics can become and how remote the opinions of this "representative" body can be.
The truth is, serving on Senate is one of the many ways in which students can contribute to the continual creation of the Hendrix community. Many important managerial tasks, such as budget allocations and committee appointments, go on without most of us even realizing it. More public accomplishments have even been displayed by this year's Senate - the mobilization against the plus/minus grading system and the creations of fair Social Events and Academic Integrity Policies, just to name a few. Thus, the trouble with Senate is not that it is a superficial organization, but rather that Senate's actual importance is undermined by members who squander its potential by using it to parade their self-image and stack their résumés. The seriousness of Senate is compromised by Senators who take themselves too seriously.
Students have a lot to gain by electing representatives who are prepared to work together, with the administration and with the student body as a whole. Their efforts, however, should be chosen with the benefit of everyone in mind and the realization of their range of effectiveness.
As is the case with politics in general, we are easily trapped in a sick cycle in which self-interested public officials inspire apathy in the voting public, and apathy in the voting public allows self-interested officials to get elected. So why should we care? Because the task of promoting fair and efficient governance is the responsibility of every single one of us, whether candidate or constituent.
Remember, we need Senate, especially we at The Profile. What else are we going to write about?
From an outside perspective, Senate can seem like a superficial organization, a playground where a handful of go-getters get to play pretend policy-maker. Needlessly long debates, hollow endeavors and excursions into insignificant issues often eclipse any valuable service that our student government has to offer. Thus, senators are often accused of taking themselves too seriously, indulging their own senses of self-importance nearly to the point of pure narcissism. Don't we all remember the fiasco of last year's presidential election? This is just one of the more memorable examples of how petty school politics can become and how remote the opinions of this "representative" body can be.
The truth is, serving on Senate is one of the many ways in which students can contribute to the continual creation of the Hendrix community. Many important managerial tasks, such as budget allocations and committee appointments, go on without most of us even realizing it. More public accomplishments have even been displayed by this year's Senate - the mobilization against the plus/minus grading system and the creations of fair Social Events and Academic Integrity Policies, just to name a few. Thus, the trouble with Senate is not that it is a superficial organization, but rather that Senate's actual importance is undermined by members who squander its potential by using it to parade their self-image and stack their résumés. The seriousness of Senate is compromised by Senators who take themselves too seriously.
Students have a lot to gain by electing representatives who are prepared to work together, with the administration and with the student body as a whole. Their efforts, however, should be chosen with the benefit of everyone in mind and the realization of their range of effectiveness.
As is the case with politics in general, we are easily trapped in a sick cycle in which self-interested public officials inspire apathy in the voting public, and apathy in the voting public allows self-interested officials to get elected. So why should we care? Because the task of promoting fair and efficient governance is the responsibility of every single one of us, whether candidate or constituent.
Remember, we need Senate, especially we at The Profile. What else are we going to write about?
Be the first to comment on this story