Have you heard the joke of the day? Student government! Ha! SG is the butt of countless jokes, and last year’s election code debacle only added fuel to the fire.
If you are sick of SG’s agenda, or lack thereof, then do something about it and get informed about the upcoming SG elections.
The most common reason most people fail to vote is because they feel that SG doesn’t do anything. How wrong they are. SG controls over $5 million of student funds a year, according to SG President Allen Richey.
I am not sure what they spend that money on, but I know this — it comes out of my tuition.
Last year alone, SG passed a gradually increasing fee to fund the Union improvements that won’t even begin until after most of us graduate. Moreover, students themselves voted to increase funding to the Rec center by $15 per semester. Voting most definitely affects finances.
Another common excuse students use is that their vote won’t make a difference.
Like hell it won’t. Although I don’t strike most people as the stereotypical student government guy, I actually tried my hand in SG a couple times. In high school, I was even the student body president.
When I got to LSU, I decided that I would get involved. I ran for UCAC senate my sophomore year. It was a close election, but I lost by nine votes.
When I went back to my old frat house (RIP Sigma Nu), I asked many of my friends if they voted. I talked to seven of them that were in my college but who had been too busy to vote.
Needless to say that I chewed them a new one, but more than anything I was disappointed to find out how little they cared. When I asked them why they didn’t vote, most of them said they just didn’t care enough to waste their time.
That same bunch of frat boys sure would have raised hell if the recent city ordinance to raise bar ages to 21 would have passed. Richey lead a contingent of students to oppose the measure, however, and it was defeated.
That is just one example of the many things SG does that affects our daily lives. I was curious about SG’s plans, so I contacted Richey (which you can do, too) and talked to him about what SG’s spending does for me.
From Groovin’ on the Grounds to student organizations, SG has deep pockets to spend on the students themselves. This is where it is important to evaluate the candidates.
In the past, SG has spent several thousand dollars to draw such great acts as the Gin Blossoms and Nappy Roots to “entertain” (and I use the term loosely in this case). Furthermore, SG allocated over $2,000 to send members of the Spectrum Alliance, a gay and lesbian group on campus, to a convention for other LGBT groups. I am sure they had a great time, but that might not be the way I wanted my student funds spent.
However, if I don’t vote, I don’t complain.
I guess Richey summed it up best: “The more people pay attention, the more they will get involved. The more people get involved, the better the outcome will be. When the [campus] administration sees that the students can govern themselves, the administration will be forced to give them more attention, and SG can do more for the students than ever.”
With a few minutes of evaluation, I could easily determine what candidates are most in touch with my concerns.
I will shamelessly plug the SG debate sponsored in part by the Reveille at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 15 in the Vieux Carre room of the Union, because this where you, the students, can get each candidate’s perspective on how they will spend your money. Finally, if you really care enough, write in to [email protected] and submit questions to ask the candidates during during the debate.
Put their feet to the fire, Because if you don’t, you and your money will get burned.