The advent of a new school year brings new opportunities for students in both their personal and academic lives. These opportunities especially include those students who serve as the representatives of our student body, namely in Associated Students, Incorporated (ASI).

There is an often tenuous relationship that exists between student governments and student newspapers, a microcosm of a dynamic that exists between government and the media throughout the world.
We at The Pioneer will not shy away from the responsibility we have to our readers and fellow students to hold ASI accountable for their actions and policies. What we seek to reaffirm here is a commitment to the journalistic principles upon which this paper stands.
These principles do not require action of us out of spite, malice or some warped sense of opposition for the sake of opposition against ASI.
Our role is that of a watchdog, but watchdogs do not attack simply to attack. They have something to defend, something that they must be mindful of protecting.
We strive to protect the truth, to preserve through intense scrutiny the integrity and honesty that each student expects from those they have elected to serve as their representatives. We believe that in this role we can not only help students but also help ASI to achieve their goals in serving students’ best interests.
As such, we challenge ASI to establish clearer lines of contact with students, to build off the progress that has been made and further include students directly. The addition of more town hall meetings, of more transparency concerning financial practices and inclusion of more student referendums in major decisions can go a long way in ensuring students are properly represented.
At the same time, we cannot shy away from challenging our fellow students, as ASI can only truly serve student interests when students express what those interests are.
Students should strive to attend committee meetings and Board of Directors sessions, apply to serve on ASI committees and be more willing to contact their student representatives with their concerns.
Year after year, those in student government have worked to shut students out of the policymaking process and have gotten away with it due to student apathy. Students by and large have not been willing do what is necessary to make ASI accountable to them.
It is a vicious cycle that must come to an end.
We reaffirm here our commitment to our readers and students to never relent in our role as watchdog while challenging ASI to make the changes necessary to best serve student interests, but we also challenge our fellow students to end the attitude of apathy towards ASI and become more involved in helping our student government in their mandate to help students.
ASI is your student government and The Pioneer is your newspaper. If you don’t get involved and challenge them to start working for you, who will?