As students walk down East Campus Mall and look up, while fending off bitter January winds, they will catch a glimpse of a prominent sign proclaiming “Black Lives Matter,” that hangs in the fourth floor office window of the Associated Students of Madison.
Past the layer of glass, ASM representatives work to distribute $48 million in student segregated fees, run grassroots campaigns and represent UW-Madison students on campus and at the Capitol.
Recently, ASM has come under criticism for taking a stance on political issues. Some conservative students think that ASM’s actions do not represent the entire student body, and question if the group should be completely non-partisan and politically neutral on all issues.
Student criticisms
At the end of the fall semester, a conservative junior Harold Britton filed a complaint with the Office of Compliance against ASM for displaying the “Black Lives Matter” sign in their office window.
ASM Chair Carmen Goséy said that she and Vice Chair Mariam Coker hung the sign following Wisconsin Union President Deshawn McKinney placing BLM signs in the Union and an increase in fear surrounding minority rights.
Britton said that he was not against the message of the sign, but was upset the student government would publicly endorse the political platform behind BLM.
“When ASM is promoting 'black lives matter,' they're not just promoting black lives, they're promoting these liberal ideologies and taking a partisan stand,” said Britton. “As a conservative on campus I don't appreciate the people in charge of our student fees taking such a political stand.”
Britton said that he wouldn’t put his name behind BLM, “I wouldn't want to see ASM force students to put their name behind that group … and saying our student body endorses that group when not all students do,” Britton said.
The Legislative Affairs Committee’s anti-campus carry campaign has also drawn criticism. In a blog post Abby Streu, a freshman and member of Young Americans for Freedom, said that “Student Council members are abusing their powers as student representatives to push their political agenda.”
Should ASM represent the student body on political issues?
Both Britton and Streu said they believe ASM should remain nonpartisan. Currently, Britton said he does not believe ASM is politically neutral. He would like to see them adopt a viewpoint-neutral policy like the Student Services Finance Committee and not address political issues.
However, Goséy said that while ASM is officially a nonpartisan group, almost all of the issues the body must address are on the political spectrum.
“I believe we should take a stand on things,” said Goséy. “This is what's in the interest of students, taking a stand on something and advocating for why that is going to benefit students.”
ASM took a stance on campus carry because it was a safety issue and BLM because it was a people issue, and both were student issues, according to Goséy.
“When we take a stance on tuition, on affordability, those are by nature political issues. However, we still lobby on them; we still advocate for student affordability,” said Goséy. “Just because these are political issues and we don't feel like they trickle down to the student level, they absolutely do and they impact students.”
Unlike his fellow conservatives, SSFC Secretary Kyle Watter said he did not have a problem with ASM taking a side on political issues.
“It shouldn't be viewpoint neutral. Because Student Council [representatives are] inherently being elected on your viewpoints,” said Watter.
But Britton believes that students organizations, and not the student government, should represent student voices to the legislature.
“Student government, if they didn't do anything, student voices would still be heard. They're not the main route that legislature hears student voices from. They don't have to be,” said Britton. “If they dropped that role I'm sure some organization would step in … If they do abstain student voice would be still heard, and probably more accurately.”
Students criticize ASM election turnout; question ability to represent student body
All three conservative students questioned if elected ASM representatives really represented the student body with such low voter turnout. This past spring ASM election turnout reached an all-time high at 11 percent of the student body.
“Right now it represents a small number of students, the ones who vote,” said Britton. “When they are claiming campus mandates, when the election turnout is so low, it's not going to represent the students.”
This past spring 19 Student Council seats were won by a progressive activist group. Goséy credited a council that was more like-minded on progressive issues for passing legislation such as Indigenous People’s Day and keeping a potential Amazon pick-up point out of the Red Gym.
Watter credited the grassroots structures for ASM’s tendencies to lean liberal and noted a “refocus” on social justices issues this session.
Additionally, Watter said it can be hard to draw conservative students to ASM. He said it can be difficult for them to be elected and difficult for them to pass legislation on the body.
“It's just not a space conservative students would feel they can accomplish anything,” said Watter.
Goséy said she has been very clear that she is happy to meet with anyone who has concerns, and encourages students to come to open forums and to sit on grassroots committees and be part of the dialogue.
“I would highly encourage those students to get involved. You don’t have to be on Student Council to be involved in ASM. You don't have to be on Student Council to set up a meeting with me and talk about how you don’t feel represented,” said Goséy. “I'm happy to talk about your side too and how [ASM] can be more accommodating … If they want their voices heard I encourage them to come to those spaces.”
According to Goséy, after Britton filed a complaint about the BLM sign she notified the Office of Compliance she would be happy to sit down with him.
However, Britton said this message was not relayed to him until after he sent an additional email saying he was disappointed to read their response in a public paper.
Britton noted that ASM’s preamble reads “a student government that will selflessly pursue the ideals of all without denying the ideals of one, that will be responsive without being repressive or restrictive”; a statement he interprets as a strong claim of neutrality that ASM has failed to live up to.
