Friday someone asked me if the student body had decided when Halloween was. Despite numerous organizations, even this paper, stating when they thought Halloween should be, students were still confused, because each organization said something different. However, the student’s question held more importance than just when Halloween would be celebrated. It also asks the question: Who is the voice of the student body?
Ask people in student government, and they will say they are the voice of the students. After all, it is the only student group whose members are voted upon by the students. But ask the average student, and most do not even know what ASM is, let alone did they vote in the last election. Last spring only 12.2 percent of the UW-Madison student body voted for their representatives. That means 87.8 percent of the student body can claim it is not represented by ASM, but that’s of no fault to those representatives voted in. If students don’t vote, they shouldn’t complain. But then again, why isn’t ASM doing more to get more students to vote?
But truth is, most students just don’t care about student government, even though they should. For instance, one arm of ASM, SSFC, plays a huge role in how students’ fees are allocated to the numerous student groups on campus. Students would probably care a lot more if they realized SSFC is playing with their money and has the power to increase the amount students pay each year — but no one has done a good job of making students care about what they should care about.
That’s definitely not for a lack of trying by the student media, though. This newspaper has spent the past two years railing on the enormous increases in seg fees approved by SSFC and has given students numerous reasons why they should go out and vote for people who will reduce seg fees. Thanks to some of the diligence on holding SSFC accountable, a new majority, the Badger Party, was voted into SSFC last spring. These members have lived up to their promise, making controversial decisions such as denying MEChA eligibility and dramatically cutting many groups’ budgets.
So does that mean the newspapers are the voice of students? No, they act on behalf of what they think is right for the student body, not necessarily what the student body thinks is right. And the papers are filled with columnists like yours truly who spout their viewpoints of what is wrong with the world and what they think should be done.
Are we the voice of the students? I should think not in that we are a single voice out of 40,000 giving our own opinions. Rather, we try to influence what students should think, not claim to say what the students do think.
Finally, you’ve got the leaders of the numerous student groups on campus. Are the leaders of these larger groups such as the Greeks, Wisconsin Union Directorate, WisPIRG and the Multicultural Student Coalition the representatives of the student body? Overall, they probably work with more students than the number of students who vote in ASM elections and are more in touch with the actual day-to-day happenings of the university than the student media who is on the outside looking in.
Truth is, there is no single leader, no one group or organization that can claim they are the voice of the student body. Many of the student groups have differing opinions on how issues should be resolved, and while these differences do lead to a debate, they often do not lead to a definite resolution. Halloween is the perfect example of this.
With the actual day of Halloween falling on a Thursday, people have been wondering what day will be the big celebration on State Street. Past precedent has said it is always the weekend before. But Thursday is often considered the start of the weekend here at Madison, so some say Halloween should be on Halloween. Others say it should just be this Saturday so out-of-towners can partake in the festivities.
Everybody has been confused as to when Halloween will be, and the numerous student voices on campus, rather than talking together to provide a unified voice on what weekend the celebration should be, have chosen their own date or have stayed silent.
The numerous voices on this campus are not a bad thing; in fact, they are a good thing. College is supposed to be about the debate of different ideas and allowing students to decide for themselves what the right answers are. Having numerous student viewpoints also makes sure as many students’ views as possible are represented.
However, these numerous voices are also a problem, in that there is debate but no definitive resolution. The newspapers and other student groups can advocate for what they think is right for students, and many students do look to those groups for direction when it comes to issues. However, having numerous views without a resolution leads to confusion, very few things actually being accomplished and less student power when it comes to influencing the administration. In addition, it leads to students not knowing exactly who to go to with their concerns about the issues affecting them. They can write a letter to the editor, yes, but that can only go so far. In the end, most students end up giving up and moving on because of the confusion.
Most groups cannot claim they are the voice of students — the only group that can do that is one whose members are elected upon by students, ASM. But with such a low student turnout when it comes to voting and lack of proof by the student government that they can get things done negates that possibility right now. Student government in theory has such potential to be the voice of students and the entity students look to for definitive answers. But until the members of that government step up to that challenge, students will be left wandering with many different viewpoints to consider but no final answers to be found as to what the majority of the student body thinks.
Students need representation regarding campus issues, especially when it comes to making sure the administration remembers that students need to be a part of decisions, too. Everyone claims they do that now, but the question is who do the students think does it for them?
Katie Harbath ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science.
