Student government by its very nature is meant to represent the best interests and needs of students. Unfortunately, our student government has been an imperfect representation of those needs. This is not through the fault of any board of directors- sitting or past – but of the institution they represent. Associated Students Inc. has failed in its fundamental purpose; to represent us. This is because ASI is a student-run business, interested more in justifying spending student fees, as opposed to representing student interests and needs.
Recently ASI conducted a review of the bylaws governing the organization. Even the most basic reading of the meeting agenda and minutes of the Bylaws Ad Hoc Committee, reveals that ASI has committed itself to primarily functioning as a business rather than as a representative body for students. ASI leadership has struggled to balance the need to investigate and explain student needs to the administration with the responsibility of overseeing a multimillion-dollar corporation. In turn, ASI leadership is proposing a reduction in the number of voting board positions in an attempt to simplify the decision making process, thereby directly decreasing the representation of students.
ASI Committees have been used to justify claims of extensive student representation and participation in the decision making process. However, committee members are in reality nothing more than glorified temp workers, enlisted by ASI to do the leg work required to run a multimillion-dollar corporation. Access to committee positions is controlled directly by the ASI board that approves students in accordance with their needs as a corporation, not by the nature of how those students represent the campus as a whole.
There would be no need to call for regular, yearly bylaw reviews if ASI student representatives were just that: student representatives. I propose that ASI move toward a representative model of governance, that instead of functioning primarily as a business, student government would serve as the voice of the student body. Instead, let a qualified independent staff handle the business aspects of ASI. This in turn will leave our elected student representatives to focus on defending our interests and needs as a student body.
This is not a condemnation of our current board of directors; it is a plea to them on behalf of all students. We the students elected you and have placed our trust in you. The institution under which you represent us has tied your hands. This does not mean you cannot foster the necessary changes that you yourselves promised in your campaign. You have been handed – like boards before you – the responsibilities of managing a multimillion-dollar corporation yet are asked to balance this with properly representing those who elected you. It is time to make a definitive statement that the priority of all boards from this day forward must be student representation above all.
