There is a story of a French politician who once said, “There go my people, I must find out where they are going so I can lead them.” Unfortunately, this idea of leadership seems to be reflected in the attitude of some candidates seeking student government offices in next week’s election.
A general trend has emerged over the past couple of years, whereby Undergraduate Students Association Council members, both prospective and incumbent, have highly prioritized increasing and diversifying the methods by which the student government communicates with and makes itself more visible to the student body.
A wide variety of ideas pursuant to these goals have been tried or mentioned as future possibilities. They include improving USAC’s Web site, surveying the student body, forming focus groups, holding office hours on Bruin Walk, holding information fairs, e-mailing meeting minutes to people who want them, and asking campus radio to cover student government.
While these ideas are not bad, they are narrow in scope, and will do little to mobilize a campus intent on not caring about its student government. Furthermore, some can be extremely time consuming.
Candidates for office this year need to ask themselves why it’s so important that students know their name – and whether achieving USAC visibility should come from consciously attempting to impose the council on the campus through token outreach programs and small adjustments, or by students noticing a higher degree of beneficial programming, advocacy and organization and making the link themselves.
The campus should be familiar with some USAC offices, such as the general representatives or commissions who offer students and groups funding. But public relations should be secondary to more important items on their agenda – especially since the very little time and few resources USAC offices allow limit the amount of work councilmembers can do before their term expires.
Office in local government is not for people who want popularity or attention. A lot of work done by the city such as fixing roads and providing utilities is noticed, but most people would be hard-pressed to name the local city councilmembers or city-wide officers responsible for making it happen. USAC is similar – it’s largely a thankless job, but someone has to do it. And doing an excellent job anonymously is more noble than doing a mediocre job very publically. Actions should make the council known, not just outreach.
The time to fix student apathy is during elections, by introducing ideas that make students excited about what student government can do for them. Hardly anything is more boring or apt to deter attention than making it a key campaign goal to “make USAC visible.” Students are interested in seeing entertaining or educational programs, not a group of people bogged down in the semantics of Robert’s Rules of Order at dinner time.
There is a plethora of issues from which candidates can choose to focus on: enrollment boosts, enrollment caps, rising on-campus housings costs, increasing student fees, tutoring services, campus safety, a diversity requirement, an unexciting college town, improving the student union, and increasing school spirit.
True leaders take issues that affect the general populace upon themselves and do everything possible to try and resolve them – even if unsuccessful, even if unnoticed.