On the road to the Student Activities Tower

Another season of IU Student Association elections is upon us.

Last year, following an uncontested election that brought us a year of lackluster student government, we had a gripping, contested race between three tickets that somehow still brought us a year of lackluster student government.

To recap — the executive student government you’re paying for exists to represent you before the administration. Yet it left many of the seats it was supposed to fill on administrative committees vacant, effectively muting student input.  

Your executive student government campaigned against an expansion of the Indiana Lifeline Law, only to jump on the bandwagon when the expansion was already quickly becoming reality.

Your executive student government spends its time purchasing Google Glass, while many of us can barely even afford the price of textbooks for class.

Your executive student government pays itself student money for what it sees as the privilege to add a line to individual résumés.

As the new season of IUSA elections opens, we encourage you to form a ticket, develop a campaign and offer to represent your fellow students. Or at the very least, just pay attention.

The past three IUSA administrations were formed largely from the members of their predecessors, meaning the inevitable ticket formed out of Jose Mitjavila’s staff will be a frontrunner from day one.

Our student government, for too long, has behaved more like high school student council planning prom than a body meant to press the administration on student
issues. 

Jared Thomas, the president of this year’s Election Commission previously told the IDS that the rollover of IUSA  staff has its positives and negatives. The Editorial Board firmly agrees.

In particular, the rollover of IUSA staff has insulated the organization from the concerns of the average IU student. When all the voices in the room are saying the same thing, it’s no wonder our student government has become so out of touch. We need new voices, new ideas and new leaders. 

This year IU should form a serious ticket that can realistically challenge the establishment. But if the establishment itself can come up with better ideas than those of the last two years, the Editorial Board is willing to listen. 

Because at the end of the day, we’re all in the same boat. We simply have different ideas of how to steer it.

opinion@idsnews.com