OPINION & EDITORIAL
ASM: Another Student Mess
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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:
- A security fee-for-all (December 11, 2007)
- Farewell, Chancellor (December 10, 2007)
- $$FC (December 6, 2007)
- In a bind (December 5, 2007)
- Entitlement Town (December 4, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Support referendum to ensure workers earn living wage (March 21, 2006)
- Holding our breath... (October 23, 2006)
- Workin' hard for the money? (October 18, 2006)
- If at first you don't succeed... (November 1, 2006)
- Losing sleep over illegitimate vote (October 24, 2006)
by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
More than four days after the polls closed, the verdict is finally in on the Associated Students of Madison election. Thanks to the 6.59 percent of students that voted, and much to our dismay, both the Living Wage and the Student Union Initiative referendums passed. Consequently, student employees at the University Health Services, Recreational Sports and the Wisconsin Union will receive a whopping $10.23 per hour. And even more distressing, Memorial Union and Union South will undergo renovations and reconstruction at a cost of about $200 million to be paid off for up to 30 years.
Despite the bounty of campaign fliers, attention from student media and plentiful paid advertising by SUI, the vast majority of students still didn't make it to the polls. In fact, only 2,635 students voted at all, leaving us to wonder what, exactly, failed to spark the interest of the student body — especially considering both proposed referendums will have such a dramatic effect on students' finances.
As if the lack of student participation were not disturbing enough, both of last semester's elections had far more reasonable outcomes: Both flubbed ASM elections would have resulted in the passage of the Living Wage referendum and the failure of the Student Union Initiative.
Despite a whopping 22 percent turnout for the online vote last semester, both elections were thrown out due to technical glitches. Last year, students did their part to give input on the issues thinking their voices would be heard and officially tallied. But lo and behold, because of the gross ineptitude of those running the elections, their participation was nullified — even though the mishaps surrounding the second election would not have actually swayed the final vote on either referendum.
ASM set up the polls again last week, determined not to completely botch yet another election. After dawdling for days — for reasons still unknown, seeing as so few votes were cast in the first place — ASM is celebrating a supposed success. Their elections have finally been completed, and both referendums were passed.
So on Nov. 7, Instead of complaining about issues, actually take action and do something about them.
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 7:42am):
Calm down, and stop using the word "whopping".
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 8:36am):
how about the fact that 200 dollars is diddly squat when you already have to pay 14k+ in tuition, rent? etc
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 9:41am):
thats a stupid argument that 200 dollars isn't "diddly squat"
I thought student government was supposed to try and lower our tuition.
Everytime a tuition hike chance comes, they can't say "Ah well, its just another fee"
Slippery slope, anyone?
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 9:43am):
This sounds a lot like a certian op/ed piece published today and put at the top of the fold.
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 9:46am):
"Despite the bounty of campaign fliers, attention from student media" Attention from student media!? MY ASS the most the "Student Media" did was to write a couple of bad opinion pieces. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION, THEY WANT FACTS!! Maybe the student newspapers should be like the "Big People's" newspapers and sponsor debates on elections here on campus.
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 9:53am):
THE BADGER HERALD SUCKS A$$
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 10:16am):
Just because they waited a few days to release the numbers doesn't change the fact so few students voted. It's student apathy--not ASM's fault. And don't try to say people didn't know about it, of course they did. What do you want ASM to do? Take your hand and drag you to the polls?
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 10:23am):
$200 is very little when you consider how much is gained. Union South is a monstrosity and it reflects very poorly on the university. 15 years from now I'd like to visit a vibrant U South that is on par with it's prettier sister Memorial Union and know that I helped to create this. If every class bitched and moaned about spending money to improve facilities we wouldn't have any unions, any buildings, or any reason to attend our school. Conservatives like to take the hardline on taxes, but you seem to forget that somebody has to pay for the school if we want it to continue as a beautiful, highly sought after university.
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 10:30am):
most people didn't care because that amount of money was a drop in the bucket compared to everything else - tuition, rent, etc.
however - the 10.23 living wage is a joke. i work at a "real" job, and i get $10 an hour. working at the rathskellar is not worth 10.23 an hour.
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 12:12pm):
I don't see you trying to change anything
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 12:44pm):
I'm sure to all you people out there who have mom and dad pay tuition, $200 is nothing, but to those of us who actually have to work for a living it's a lot of money. I voted in this election, and I didn't even know about it until the day before, and everyone I told didn't know about it either. Wake up. Looks like all of the 4% of the entire population who voted in this election for the referendum are repeatedly writing in here. Sounds about right.
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 5:20pm):
maybe you should try being an informed student? it was in both papers for weeks, everyone was emailed, signs were everywhere. ignorance is no excuse.
Anonymous (October 24, 2006 @ 6:03pm):
"$200 is very little when you consider how much is gained. Union South is a monstrosity and it reflects very poorly on the university."
No, people like YOU reflect very poorly on the university. Not all of us can afford an extra $200 a year. I already work 55 hours every week to pay for school, and I hardly have anything left when I finish paying for school, my rent, utilities, and groceries.
If $200 isn't so much for you, then you and other wealthy folks won't mind making a few sizable donations to the WUD to pay for the whole thing yourselves. That way students like me who have to pinch pennies to afford the already overblown fees and out-of-control tuition increases won't have to decide between staying in school and not being homeless.
Anonymous (October 25, 2006 @ 1:00am):
The Badger Herald is just embarrassed that it was totally wrong about what students wanted with the Unions. oops.
Don't play the blame game with ASM.
Anonymous (October 25, 2006 @ 12:50pm):
"The Badger Herald is just embarrassed that it was totally wrong about what students wanted with the Unions. oops."
Yes, so wrong that the first three times students voted, they rejected the union initiative.
Don't play the embarassment game with the BH over this issue. You'd lose -- if you had any sense, you'd be embarassed at advocating such a wasteful initiative at the expense of your fellow students who can ill afford it.
Anonymous (October 25, 2006 @ 10:15pm):
the only reason it was defeated the first 3 times was because of slac's organizing efforts
Anonymous (October 26, 2006 @ 1:23am):
I'm a Senior this year....by far, this was the worst election. I won't get into how I voted. But why are we, in the year 2006, unable to hold elections in the same manner as 2003(online, for all ya yung'uns)? If the average student was anything like me, they quickly stopped by the polls between class. We were greeted by long lines...sorry not worth the effort.
The online polls seemed to be a better guage of the student body, +/- a few votes of accuracy.
Anonymous (October 30, 2006 @ 4:20pm):
I second the last comment. What happened to the online polls? As a commuting student, I wasn't even in Madison on the days the polls were open. Not having online voting was a huge disadvantage to students getting what they actually wanted.
