So you picked up a copy of last week’s Campus Times and glanced at the front page picture of three fellow collegians squinting into the sun. You then proceeded to peruse the rest of the newspaper. I wonder how many of you joined me in reading the accompanying article and cringed at the thought of having the three most important student-elected offices filled by candidates who lacked competition and the opinion of four-fifths of the student body.
Although these three candidates may be the best for the job, some competition and more student input would have reaffirmed their credentials.
When only one-fifth of the undergraduate population votes for sophomores Tracey Landisi and Dan Lougheed to lead the Associated Student Federation (ASF) Forum as president and vice president, respectively, and junior Scott Mac Kay to represent the undergraduate population as the Board of Trustees student representative, it becomes very clear that one thing the University of La Verne has an abundance of is apathy.
Now, I could fill in the rest of my column space with a long, detailed explanation of what has brought me to this conclusion and give suggestions on what can be done about it. But, unless you have not noticed, the Campus Times religiously writes an apathy opinion piece every semester. If the editorial board has to write an apathy editorial every semester, then it is fair to say that students are doing nothing to change their indifference. Therefore, I am going to try a different approach.
$102,388.16. Almost everyone can agree that $102,388.16 is a substantial amount of money. This was the operating budget granted to Forum to fulfill its student government endeavors this year. With it, the Forum planned Homecoming, the Christmas Dinner, Spring Formal and took two retreats.
This money was also used for was to buy freebies (usually ULV paraphernalia), pay for trips (horseback riding), co-sponsor events with other organizations and purchase discount tickets for sports events, amusement parks and Catalina Island.
To help put on these events and buy these discounts and freebies, each undergraduate student pays $90 in the form of an annual student fee. You may not be paying this amount out of your pocket at this moment, but when the student loan bills begin arriving after graduation, this amount could come in handy. If you multiply the student fee by four years, the grand total is $360. I do not know about you, but I have not received $270 worth of ASF activities during my three years at ULV.
Although most would like to pocket the money, we have no choice but to allow the Forum to allocate this money in whichever manner it deems fit.
ASF has a tough job. The Forum has to decide for students what they want with what the students’ contributes every year. Pleas and invitations for suggestions are given every time a new executive board is elected, however, the response is almost non-existent. Last semester, the Forum tried to get input on what students wanted from their representative governing body. It was a good idea. But when the only people in attendance are Forum members, one student and a Campus Times reporter, there is not much the Forum can do.
So, the Forum sees no choice but to make decisions for the student body. Since you are contributing money, don’t you want to have some say on who can spend it or how? Every student on this campus does have a voice with his or her vote and presence at the weekly Forum meeting, which are open to students. The one power non-Forum members do have is to vote for the candidate they believe will serve their best interest. However, when the ballot asks the voter to have a student government executive board or have none at all, there is not much of a choice.
The lack of voter participation, candidates and dialogue between the Forum and student body is sending the message that students are happy with what the Forum is currently doing. If students do not vote or voice their concerns, party planning and discount tickets is exactly what they will continue to get.
