The recent SGA election has left me with a great deal I don’t understand.
This is the level on which an individual voter can make the most difference. The voter base is small. SGA has the authority to change the UTM campus for better or worse and has very few loopholes to jump through. This is where a vote could matter most and only 852 students even voted for president. Of course, only 849 were worried enough to vote for vice president and 847 for secretary general.
Yes, the party I chose lost. My concern is broader than that, though. I’m worried that UTM students just don’t care.
To those students who couldn’t be bothered to vote, well, that just makes me sad. I’m afraid I don’t understand that level of apathy about something this important, something that directly affects UTM students. I’m ashamed of you.
For those who did not vote because they felt they weren’t educated on the issues enough to vote, I appreciate that thoughtfulness. I don’t think either party made enough of an effort to inform students of what their platforms were. That being said, the next time an election comes up, take time to find this stuff out. If the parties haven’t made you aware of what they believe, it’s probably time to be suspicious, no matter what election it is.
I also understand wanting to vote for a friend. The only problem is if that friend isn’t good for the position they are running for. The person you hang out with and the person who will be the best representative for the students may not be the same person.
Pacer staff received very little response on any of our SGA pieces, good or bad. We have been concerned about the outcome of this election; I have been concerned about it.
Contrary to popular belief, perhaps, there was never any personal vendetta against a particular party or person within a party. As in all political parties, there are more and less deserving candidates in each. The world, and each human being, is a mixture of nobility and well, less than noble characteristics. The goal was never to demonize or glorify anyone. The goal was to point out what was handled incorrectly, and that maybe it was time for a change.
It’s hard for me to trust any politician who fears legislation that ensures he or she was held accountable by the constituents, especially when some of those same politicians are responsible for the lack of information available to students. There is still not a stitch of information available on the SGA portion of UTM’s website about committees or legislation, pending or past. The most you’ll find is “Information is coming soon.” The SGA Facebook page offers up a similar void of information, although it at least has meeting times occasionally. If anyone can figure out how much money is given to SGA for one academic year’s budget, I will make you cookies.
How am I to know if the people I elected are doing what I elected them to if they are allowed to do what they please without communicating it to their constituents? I don’t think it’s too much to ask to require the people voters put in office to give an account of how they spend their time and resources. And no, it’s not my job to track down every detail of what SGA is doing. It’s their job to share that with me. I expect that from the people who say they represent me, no matter which party, platform or ideology they subscribe to. In the end, I don’t really care what the promises are; I care about what actions accompany those promises.
So to the newly elected executive council for SGA, live up to your promises. Pass legislation to make UTM better and then tell students the moment you do pass something and why you passed it. The students you represent deserve at least that much.
To the other members of SGA, please remember that your responsibility is to the students of this campus and the extended campuses. Vote for our best interests, not your own. And before anyone gets all riled up, every politician on every level needs that reminder lest they forget.
Politicians are supposed to serve. It’s dangerous to forget that.
