Spring Break
Column: What Student Government does
Chris Kromphardt / Columnist
Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: Opinions
Any good administrator, manager or leader knows that establishing goals and an overarching purpose for his organization are crucial steps toward success. The parameters within which a group works must be clearly defined in order to maximize efficiency and reduce confusion as much as possible.
Groups fail all the time because they've neglected to ask themselves, "What do we do?"
This may seem to be a simple question, but really, it's not uncommon for there to be a disconnect between leaders, followers and everyone else affected by a group's actions, one that produces confusion and inefficiency at best and organizational collapse at worst.
While these realities abound for those banks and investment firms that are having trouble remaining solvent, they also hit much closer to home for a group that affects Eastern students more than most of them know. This group has its up and downs, just like any other, but suffers from a uniquely, shall we say, Eastern identity crisis.
In my experience, the mention of Student Government usually produces several different reactions: rolling one's eyes, snickering, "I know so-and-so who's on it, but I don't really know what they do" - students' perceptions of their governing body run the gamut from a fleeting familiarity to apathy to disdain. It seems the only students who know what Student Government actually does are those who are either on it, those who are dating or are best friends with someone who is and those who report for The Daily Eastern News.
While I'm sure some would argue with me about whether this is a problem, claiming that Student Government is just an impotent group with no real power and its members are a bunch of opportunistic, precocious students looking to play pretend government while padding their resumes, I will not be dissuaded. I argue that students ought to care about or at least be aware of what we do. I do this because it's my job.
Most students only get a taste of Student Government through articles in The DEN or those four days throughout the school year when elections are held. This is our fault, and meeting after meeting we talk, talk, talk about connecting more with students. Sometimes we succeed in reversing this trend, addressing a real student need and letting the student body know we did so, such as with Campus Safety events and issue forums such as the Electronic Writing Portfolio forum. We do this by finding a real student need, and using our ability to lobby the administration to gain its support. We do this very, very well.
If you were to ask any member what he liked best about the job, I have no doubt he (or she) would say it's when the students actually care about what we've done. Whether it's for a diversity requirement or a fan bus, Student Government laps up student participation in our meetings like a small child starved for attention. Government is a two-way street; we can't force our constituents to grant us legitimacy through their support and their votes. It's hard to represent anyone other than ourselves when it seems no one else cares.
Chris Kromphardt is a senior political science major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
Groups fail all the time because they've neglected to ask themselves, "What do we do?"
This may seem to be a simple question, but really, it's not uncommon for there to be a disconnect between leaders, followers and everyone else affected by a group's actions, one that produces confusion and inefficiency at best and organizational collapse at worst.
While these realities abound for those banks and investment firms that are having trouble remaining solvent, they also hit much closer to home for a group that affects Eastern students more than most of them know. This group has its up and downs, just like any other, but suffers from a uniquely, shall we say, Eastern identity crisis.
In my experience, the mention of Student Government usually produces several different reactions: rolling one's eyes, snickering, "I know so-and-so who's on it, but I don't really know what they do" - students' perceptions of their governing body run the gamut from a fleeting familiarity to apathy to disdain. It seems the only students who know what Student Government actually does are those who are either on it, those who are dating or are best friends with someone who is and those who report for The Daily Eastern News.
While I'm sure some would argue with me about whether this is a problem, claiming that Student Government is just an impotent group with no real power and its members are a bunch of opportunistic, precocious students looking to play pretend government while padding their resumes, I will not be dissuaded. I argue that students ought to care about or at least be aware of what we do. I do this because it's my job.
Most students only get a taste of Student Government through articles in The DEN or those four days throughout the school year when elections are held. This is our fault, and meeting after meeting we talk, talk, talk about connecting more with students. Sometimes we succeed in reversing this trend, addressing a real student need and letting the student body know we did so, such as with Campus Safety events and issue forums such as the Electronic Writing Portfolio forum. We do this by finding a real student need, and using our ability to lobby the administration to gain its support. We do this very, very well.
If you were to ask any member what he liked best about the job, I have no doubt he (or she) would say it's when the students actually care about what we've done. Whether it's for a diversity requirement or a fan bus, Student Government laps up student participation in our meetings like a small child starved for attention. Government is a two-way street; we can't force our constituents to grant us legitimacy through their support and their votes. It's hard to represent anyone other than ourselves when it seems no one else cares.
Chris Kromphardt is a senior political science major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Be the first to comment on this story