Inconsequential
Another Student Government Association election, another year of poor voter turnout.
A measly 1,722 students voted in the SGA Presidential Election last week - down from 2,031 in 2007. President-elect and Montgomery senior Paul Pridgeon and running mate and Kingsford junior Brad Sjoquist won the election with 1,067 votes.
The low voter turnout year in and year out shows just how inconsequential students believe SGA is.
Voting was hindered Friday when the Web site suffered a glitch preventing people from voting (of course SGA officials were clueless as to how the fix the problem).
But that really does not matter, it's not like thousands of students were itching to make a last minute vote.
Just 6 percent of students at CMU (and eligible voters) say Pridgeon and Sjoquist should lead them. Students sent the message loud and clear - they don't care what SGA does.
Pridgeon and Sjoquist aren't representative of the student body - you can't be if so few even bother to vote for you.
Both elects are competent and sincere. They have good ideas, and they want to make this university better.
But, much like their predecessors, they will be ineffective. They'll be ineffective because SGA has no real power and students are apathetic.
It's time SGA rethinks what it's all about. Passing resolutions and hoping the powers that be at this university will listen is not working.
One of the nice things Pridgeon has done as the Senate leader is cancel Senate meetings so senators get out and talk to students. More of this should happen. Having a meeting to pass a non-binding resolution is a waste of time.
At least when senators get out and talk to students they are making their presence known.
It is not that SGA has bad ideas. Lower textbook prices and longer course outlook plans are admirable ideas.
But what has come out of it? Not much.
SGA needs to become more assertive. Scream in administrators' ears until change happens. Organize protests and have students write letters.
Rally students behind their cause. Then, maybe, change can happen.
Until then SGA will be nothing but a group of people trying to learn the ins and outs of government. And if that's what SGA wants to be, then that's just fine, just as long as it advertises itself as such.
If SGA wants to be representative of the student body, it needs to get the student body behind it. This will take a lot of work.
It will take a complete revamp of the system - a change in infrastructure.
Hopefully, Pridgeon and Sjoquist realize this. They must if they want to take a step toward effectiveness.
