Why aren't we raising hell?

In case there was any confusion about IUSA last week — considering it appeared in the title of four Indiana Daily Student articles — the acronym was not referring to the International Underwater Spearfishing Association.

Rather, the four letters stand for the Indiana University Student Association, a group which is meant to represent all students at IUB.

We wouldn’t be surprised if students didn’t notice any election drama, given the indifference to the news of IUSA’s single-ticket ballot.

A poll on idsnews.com shows that, at the time of writing, 84 percent of those polled who plan on voting do not intend to write in a candidate for the IUSA ballot, a provision which was made for this year’s election in light of the lack of opposition to the Movement ticket.

Neither will the majority of those polled vote for the Movement party. An overwhelming 65 percent said they will not vote at all.

So what does this tell us about IUSA? Was the system rigged in favor of the Movement party, which is recycling most of its membership?

Or do most students simply not care about their student government enough to vote one way or another?

Considering the results of the online poll, it seems safe to say that apathy is more to blame than conspiracy.

Disinterest in the IUSA election parallels indifference seen each year in elections throughout the country. In fact, student government at IU could be said to represent our country’s government as a whole.

The most obvious symptoms include poor voter turnout and limited candidate
options.

But the core of the problem lies in the function of our governing bodies: They don’t seem to do much.

On the national scale, the two dominant (and barely different) parties are perpetually locked in a tug-of-war in which significant legislation produced by one side either gets blocked, removed after a power-shift or watered-down beyond effectiveness by the opposing party.

This has resulted in a 40-year low approval rating of Congress.

With regard to IUSA, its recent contribution to state law protecting appropriate response to alcohol overconsumption, its installation of sustainable exercise equipment at the gym and information screens at the library and its passing of various well-intentioned resolutions are all things that our student representatives should be proud of.

However, IUSA has little sway with changes in tuition, the University budget and other policy decisions that critically influence the lives of students on campus.

IU’s Board of Trustees, which boasts only one student member (who is appointed by the governor, not the students) legally owns and controls the University.

While interest in student government is important, it must also be acknowledged how little of an effect IUSA has had on major issues.

The “Raise Hell, Not Tuition” pamphlets released from Ballantine Hall last week are an example of direct action that might catch more student attention than IUSA policy.

Does this mean our system of student government is broken? We might never know unless we snap out of this streak of apathy and reengage as active and concerned students and citizens.

There are problems on campus. We need to voice them.