This past February, the students of UW-Madison had a chance to bring change to Associated Students of Madison. A brand new constitution was put before the campus in the hopes of making the organization relevant once again, structured to make ASM's leadership more accountable and more closely connected to students.
In hindsight, it seems all too predictable that the constitution ultimately failed, due in no small part to ASM's aforementioned perceived lack of relevance and leadership. The creators of the new constitution were simply out-hustled by the Vote No Coalition who, thanks to a sizable amount of fearmongering, were able to swell up enough support for a colossal 15 percent voter turnout. Ironically, the fact that a 15 percent turnout can be called ""colossal"" is probably a good indicator of how badly ASM needed the change the new constitution would have provided. The new constitution was far from a perfect document, but it was a much better opportunity for reform than the simple changing of the guard the Vote No Coalition supported.
This week, the future of ASM is again up for a vote with the first ASM elections since the constitution referendum, which begin today and continue through Wednesday. Once again, the Vote No Coalition is popping their little heads out of their burrows for some campaigning. Now operating under the FACES moniker (For Accessibility, Community and Empowerment of Students) and including some new foot soldiers, the group has moved on to phase two: attempting to grab control of ASM itself. As far as I'm concerned, we should let them.
It's not that the FACES slate contains the most worthy candidates for ASM. After all, these are the people who halted ASM's best chance for reform by leading the defeat of the constitution. It also seems that their campaign is driven by little more than rampant idealism with very little substance behind it.
Too many points of the FACES platform feel like fluff, such as making all Student Council and Student Services Finance Committee members take a ""diversity training class"" or holding listening sessions each semester—as if this campus doesn't have enough listening sessions already. Other proposals just seem ineffective, such as increasing the presence of Blue Safety phones, a technology completely outdated in an age when almost everybody has a cell phone.
Nothing in the platform mentions creating better communication with students, which has been one of ASM's weakest areas. According to freshman Letters and Science candidate and FACES member Jonah Zinn, ASM will gain more publicity if it actually starts doing things. But it would seem difficult for students to actually hear about these accomplishments if ASM continues with the woeful public relations it has now. Instead, much of the platform seems focused on lobbying—something ASM simply does not have the resources to pull off, as shown by constitution champion Jeff Wright recently moving away from the organization to help found the Wisconsin Student Lobby.
However, this happy-go-lucky batch of progressives effectively won the real election back in February. Electing a new group of traditional ASM candidates would just be continuing the unacceptable status quo.
At the very least, the FACES slate seems capable of dealing with the basic functions of ASM. The slate includes numerous candidates who have acted as community organizers and activists, ranging from Tyler Hawks' work on the Obama campaign to Elizabeth Wrigley-Field's free speech activism to Eric Hoyt's representation of ASM on the Labor Licensing Policy Committee, so the group certainly has a level of organizational competence. FACES even includes former District 12 alderman and current head of the Equal Opportunities Commission Brian Benford, who might just have the most impressive resume of any ASM candidate ever.
Most importantly, electing these candidates into office will provide the student body with a specific group to hold accountable for any further lethargic inaction from ASM. If the status quo continues, nobody running on the FACES platform will be able to say they weren't given a chance. The blame for failure will lie squarely on the shoulders of the Vote No crowd, providing motivation for a new constitution reform movement in the future.
So when you vote in this week's ASM elections, make sure to check the box next to your FACES candidate. If they can actually accomplish some of their goals, good for them. I sincerely hope they can shake ASM from the shadows of irrelevancy. But let it be known that the burden of reform now lies on the FACES slate alone, and anything short of success will not be tolerated.
Todd Stevens is a sophomore majoring in history and psychology. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
