Brown: Presidential election should revitalize politics on campus
Erin Brown
Sunday, September 14th, 2008
The presidential election is 49 days away, and the anticipation is building. Voter turnout among young adults is increasing. According to civicyouth.org, 47 percent of 18 to 24 year olds voted in the 2004 presidential election, up from 36 percent in 2000. With all the enthusiasm surrounding the November election, why weren’t students this excited about the Student Senate elections in April?
Voter turnout for the last Student Senate election was extremely low. Only 17 percent of the student body voted. Although this is an increase from 12 percent the year before, the turnout is pitiful. Not voting means not being heard, and less than a fifth of the student body had a voice in April.
The presidential election may seem more significant than the Student Senate elections, but political involvement on campus is just as important. Student senators have as much of an impact, if not more, on our daily lives than the person we put in the White House.
The decisions of Student Senate set the foundation of the school and have been widely questioned, and sometimes criticized, by students. Issues like voting with clickers, financing the construction of a boathouse and making buses free for students were widely discussed. But why didn’t the majority of the student body vote?
Apparently only 17 percent of the student body found these issues important enough to elect the people who control them instead of just complaining.
Political involvement on campus does not begin and end with voting. Students should get involved in the decision-making process.
If you didn’t vote on Student Senate election day, you can still have a say about what happens to your campus and your money. Students can start petitions and write referendums. Students can even write their own bills with the permission of a student senator.
Student Senate said it is trying to tackle campus voting apathy. Student Senate has created a new committee to reform the election process in an effort to get more students to the polls, said Aly Rodee, Student Senate communications director. Student Senate hopes to shorten the campaigning process so that students won’t feel burnt out and may be excited to vote.
Being informed about the politics of the University is just as important as voting for the president. It may even be more important. After all, the president does not manage student fees.
In order to get the best experience from the University, students must be informed and involved in their campus community.
Young people are hungry for a positive change. This change we crave will not come from our next president but from ourselves.
Brown is a Wichita sophomore in journalism and political science.
Discussion
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Student Senate does not affect my life more than the President. The $400 a semester in student fees pale in comparison to the amount I am paying in federal taxes on a yearly basis. Not to mention the President's control of foreign relations and Supreme Court nominations which will affect plenty of my daily life.
With that said there is voter apathy due to questionable election rules and results. People don't think their vote counts, or if it does then it won't matter because they aren't a bus full of voters or a basketball player at a voting table. Should we try to change the system from within? Yes, and I think that is being attempted, but until there is evidence that one party will not dominate through "questionable" practices then I wouldn't expect people to run out to the polls.
Voter apathy at KU is no different than voter apathy at any other campus - or for that matter, for politics in general.
People lead busy lives - and it takes a lot to get their attention. Why students don't vote for POTUS, I don't understand. Why students don't vote for Student Senate isn't that the organization is broken - it's that students have a lot on their minds and Student Senate simply doesn't rank at the top.
My hope is that Student Senate will do everything they can (like reform election rules) to get students as much information as possible, without burning them out. But whether students vote or not is up to them.
"Why students don't vote for Student Senate isn't that the organization is broken - it's that students have a lot on their minds and Student Senate simply doesn't rank at the top."
The organization is broken. It consistently fails to represent what students want from their University. The fact that the winning coalition ran on the platform of a pool that is going to raise student fees and will never be used is evidence that politics at KU and in student senate really is a joke. The reason that student senate does not rank at the top of students minds is because it is a joke; student senate rarely gets anything meaningful done every year except keep the bus system running, raise student fees, argue about the $40 we give to athletics every year and debate about rules and regulations. Occasionally someone will spend student senate money on something cool, like a neat speaker or a rain garden in front of the rec center, but these projects are rarely captivating from an average student's perspective. You want students to care? challenge the administration! Do something really bold and tell Chancellor Bob no for once! that's what we're there for right?
Perhaps the winning coalition won BECAUSE OF the pool? Clearly you don't like it, but I've heard from lots of people who do.
We'll know for sure if they let us vote on it.
If the winning coalition won because of a PROPOSED pool, tell me what exactly about that is supposed to make me want to get out and vote. The pool is a ridiculous idea, if a coalition had a valid plan for more parking spaces that would be something to write home about.
.... because you support the proposition of a pool and want to see it happen. What am I missing here?
Apparently you are missing the sense to see from my comment that a pool is not something that will push me or apparently my KU brethren (as only 17% voted) to vote.
Does anyone know if turnout in KU's student senate elections are any higher/lower than other colleges?
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