In the aftermath of an elated undergraduate student atmosphere during the Student Association election last week, the question that should remain on students' minds is: How will those who have been elected actually make a difference in their lives?
The goal of SA is both very clear and very broad in its constitution: "to provide a better university experience [for] all undergraduate students by representing students."
Now that Nick Johns and the Spirit Party have received an overwhelming embrace of their campaign platform, resulting in an across-the-board victory for next year's executive board, they will have to shift their focus toward definitive objectives if they want to have any hope of playing a legitimate role in achieving the promise of the association they have been elected to represent.
The emphasis now needs to be on politics of the possible.
The frustration for many students is a sense of irrelevance; SA really doesn't make much of a difference in many students' college experiences. Aside from the many talking points aggregated over the course of the election from both parties, there were a small amount of tangible initiatives articulated and promises made for whichThe Spectrum will hold the new e-board accountable.
Johns' most substantial promise was to revamp the SA website. In line with his "TIE" plan (transparency, inclusiveness and efficiency), he said the new website will provide a way for anyone to see every expense, displaying the entire allocation of finances.
While this may sound simple, it is a highly demanding proposal. Updating the website and maintaining it will require a constancy of attention and large amount of work. Nevertheless, we expect the website to be as improved as Spirit said it would be by Aug. 26, the first day of classes.
The incoming treasurer, Siddhant Chhabria, promised to allocate $25,000 of the budget to an emergency line for club expenses that could unpredictably emerge. The rest of his ticket implored they will take measures to improve South Campus safety, install more available outlets at university libraries and outdoor lighting throughout North Campus.
We expect all of this to happen.
As the high level of student apathy has remained stagnant this election season, this is an opportunity for the recently elected to work to change the attitude of the student body at large and reinforce the belief that student government matters.
The purpose of SA should be to establish the conditions and build the tools to help students make the most of their college experiences. There is roughly $3.7 million of accumulated mandatory student activity fees from every undergraduate student at stake here, and if Johns hopes to achieve his goal of developing a "better connection to students," the first step is not letting campaign promises dissipate once he steps into office.
In addition to us, students should help hold Johns accountable. It reflects poorly on the student body that the entire Spirit ticket won. Not to malign all the candidates, but the trend responsible for this is that when people have one friend on a ticket, they vote for the entire ticket. Many don't make an effort to really inform themselves on the candidates.
The manner in which canvassing has taken place in the Student Union is, to put it plainly, unprofessional and aggressive. The taste left in most students' mouths following election is disenchantment and indifference.
As important as it is to encourage community engagement and facilitate an atmosphere of inclusion, it should not be the new executive board's primary focus right now.
If Johns seriously hopes to modify the feelings of most students, he will have to start with the tangibles. A real politician can only have so much time for abstractions.
Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
