“Kittens inspired by kittens” video references, making plans to go to Pluckers, changing one word in a bylaw — these are my only memories of being a member of the Student Government Senate.
Those, and wasting countless hours sitting in the Capital Chambers.
Believe it or not, before this so-called wretched, inaccurate reporter began writing for “The People’s Reveille,” I was an elected senator for University Center for Freshman Year.
That’s right, folks. I’ve seen both sides.
As a heavily involved veteran in my high school’s student council, I knew I would continue to make my school a better place by joining SG in college.
I remember nervously submitting an application for the Freshman Leadership Council in early August and convincing the leaders I was a worthy candidate. I was selected days later, and my adventure into the long-winded world of LSU SG began.
Clad in a white blouse, navy-blue pencil skirt and brown pointed-toe flats, I prepared for my first meeting.
I met new friends, brainstormed ways to improve the University and learned about the levels of SG. I attended meetings of all three branches and was impressed by parliamentary procedure.
It seemed so official, I thought with starry eyes. And I wanted more.
I was approached by the StudentsFIRST campaign, led by J Hudson and Dani Borel, early in the spring semester and made the decision to run for UCFY senator in the March election.
I joined the brigade of purple and gray for weeks, passing out pushcards and being ignored by the majority of Free Speech Plaza passers-by. I was dedicated to our initiatives and naively convinced I could single handedly make a difference.
The votes were cast, the fingers were crossed, and the results were announced — I won.
And after another week of runoff blood, sweat and literal tears, my ticket won.
The difficult part was over, and I could comfortably settle into my swinging Senate Chamber seat. It was time to pass the initiatives and serve my constituents.
Right?
Oh, little Sydni. How I chuckle at her ignorance.
I learned at my first Senate meeting that discussing an issue — or voting on it, for that matter — takes a lot longer than a few minutes. Or a few hours. Or a few days.
I’m not going to rant and say SG doesn’t accomplish anything — that would be unfair and false.
What I can say, however, is a large portion of the time spent at the meetings actually does not relate to or serve the student body, which is the mission of the association.
Some may argue the time spent on internal issues aids the University in the long run, but that isn’t necessarily true. The student body isn’t directly involved in where the Senate should grab a drink after the seven-hour session or which student leaders are parting with their “second family.”
A Senate meeting should outline student issues with the rest saved for leisurely conversation or committee discussion.
Yes, it’s sad when a student graduates, but it doesn’t take 56 minutes to say goodbye, and it doesn’t take 72 minutes to decide how much paper to buy in the fall.
And while it requires time to pass legislation, it often does not need to take hours to debate a single issue. At some point the conversation will shift from civil debate to a cacophony of political hopefuls trying to snag the last word.
The Daily Reveille reported Thursday that SG spent 57.9 percent of Senate meeting time discussing issues with minimal student impact, 30.3 percent on student-related issues and 11.8 percent of time spent on meeting procedures.
The reporter had a precise formula to calculate the times and presented all of the logged information in an organized manner, but the information has been misconstrued.
As raging comments flood Facebook statuses and website comments, it is important to point out the larger issue interpreted by a student who has been in both SG and Student Media.
More of the Senate time should be spent on student issues. End of story.
It is unfair for the students who rely on the organization to be their voice and unfair for senators who have to sit through unnecessary conversation when they just want to help their college.
Perhaps I wouldn’t have resigned my seat to work for Student Media if it would have taken less time to effect change.
Sydni Dunn is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Lake Charles.
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]