Student government campaign season is here again. Over the next few weeks, anyone attempting a few minutes of peace in the Union or Commons will find their efforts thwarted by ambitious students soliciting nomination signatures from anyone and everyone, all for the good of the system. While this part of GM Week can be a major hassle, we would like to encourage as many people as possible to participate in the process.
RPI has a rather unique system wherein students control the majority of the decisions when it comes to their own activities. Everything from club budgeting to discipline is handled almost exclusively by students. The grand marshal, senators, and other students meet regularly with administrators and have a great deal of input on new programs or requirements. Voting dictates those who will handle a great deal of money and program planning, so elections require more effort than just filling in some bubbles and walking away with a mug.
Every student over the next few weeks should take a few moments and decide what they would like to see from their student government. Some students may want the Student Senate to continue to push for free tickets to hockey games, which was one of this year’s goals. The Senate could take on scholastic requirements and push for better and more practical core classes for engineering students. Our student government is given the power to effect change on this campus, and students should let their government know specific goals they want accomplished.
After determining their interests, students should then decide who can best help them accomplish those goals by talking to, or reading about, the candidates, attending a Senate meeting, or even running for office themselves. The latter would be a great thing; each year, only a handful of students campaign, and a good number of senators are re-elected, with only a few new faces on the Senate. Some fresh ideas on how to best serve the student body would be wonderful.
It is, of course, idealistic to think that every student will go out and think this much about student government. Democracy on even as small a scale as this requires participation, however, and if even a few people give it more thought than usual, the system will benefit greatly.
