Opinion

Take ASM forward

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In the past year, students have seen their tuition bills increase significantly with little hope of any decline in the future. At the same time, students have witnessed — with equal disappointment — the bickering, resumé -building antics of many members of the Associated Students of Madison (ASM). For many, this disillusionment has led to an outright distaste for student government, as expressed in low voter participation.

Many have good reason to feel this way.

As reported in this newspaper, approximately $1 million annually goes unspent because many seg-fee funded groups fell short of their budgeted spending limits. This surplus is not returned to students in the form of a logical rebate or routed back to Student Services Finance Committee (SSFC) in the form of a sensible deduction from future segregated fees. Such rebates are especially important in a time of increasing tuition costs.

Moreover, the ASM General Council declined a proposal that would put further reforms of the seg-fee system to a general referendum. Considering past abuses of the seg-fee system, we believe students deserve the right to discuss any reforms in an open discussion by referendum. Alas, many of the representatives who currently sit on the Council — and have been elected through the efforts of some seg-fee-funded groups — chose to protect their own pals rather than let students discuss for themselves how best to distribute their own money.

Lastly, ASM has done little to fight Policy Alternatives Community Education (PACE) and the failure surrounding the weekend drink special ban. On an issue of universal applicability to students, ASM has chosen not to butt heads with the University on behalf of its constituents. Students deserve a government that is willing to fight Bascom when Bascom is in the wrong.

Fortunately, some candidates are running on a platform to reform ASM and its flawed seg-fee system as well as fight the University’s regulatory attitudes toward drinking. Those candidates are predominantly running on the Forward Slate.

We call on students to learn more about these candidates and vote for them in the ongoing ASM elections by visiting www.vote.asm.wisc.edu. Finally, students are presented a group of candidates whose views will best defend their interests. They should not let the disillusionment of past failures eliminate the possibility of future improvement.