Students of UW-Madison will be able to vote online today or tomorrow either for or against the proposed Associated Students of Madison constitution. Perhaps the biggest change from the previous constitution is the implementation of a presidential figure, deviating from the current parliamentarian form in place.
Much debate has sprung up over the last few weeks over this newly created position, as many student organizations feel threatened that their future budgets may be mishandled by this individual, who, they claim, is given way too much power. After all, the president could veto the budget for specific organizations, denying them any access to segregated fees on a whim, right? Not quite, as a lot of procedures are in place to prevent such abuse of presidential powers. Rather, this newly proposed referendum can help to alleviate some of the mounting issues with the current student government, and students need to help pass the constitution.
The main opponents of the new constitution, the Vote No Coalition, have made outrageous claims with the intent of stopping the referendum in its tracks. A great many of these claims center on the proposed presidential position, asserting that such an individual would be granted too much power and become more of a dictator than anything else. This group, composed mostly of concerned student organizations, actually has little to support the claim that this president will be able to cut budgets of student organizations on a whim and that there is no system of checks and balances with which to keep this individual in line. A collection of ASM senators will actually be able to provide just this—senators who are directly elected like the president and who have the ability to not only impeach the president but also to approve any presidential appointment with a two-thirds vote.
Of course, the main problem that prompted this referendum in the first place was that ASM was facing a total lack of involvement. In order to really have a viable government working for the wants and needs of a group of people, that group of people need to communicate and become involved in their government. Too few students care about our student government, and so many are focused on their own problems to be burdened with the problems of the flailing ASM.
A figurehead, someone whom the students can not only turn to when they need help, but also to point a finger at when something goes badly, would certainly help. This central allocation of responsibility would help students at least put a face on their government, and would likely aid in generating both support and involvement. A president would succeed in accomplishing this for ASM and may be enough to generate some student activity, breathing life into an otherwise defunct system.
Unfortunately, ASM is currently in dire straits. To those who are against the constitution, I ask this: What exactly do you plan to do to get more students involved in their government? Do we just let things stand as they are now, with the few ASM accomplishments occurring only in spite of the poorly designed system, or do we try improving a struggling government organization whose represented body has absolutely no interest in it? Change for the sake of change is bad, but the new system does improve upon many previous ASM drawbacks, and for that, it is worth passing.
Whether you agree with me or not, UW students still need to vote on this. Despite the meager interest in our student government in elections past, this is perhaps one of the most important elections to face ASM in 15 years, and another poor voter turnout on this would just be another example of ASM's failure to excite student support for most of what they do. To find a link to the proposed constitution, as well as a link to online voting for it, check out ASM's website at www.asm.wisc.edu and place your vote.
Ryan Dashek is a junior majoring in biology. We welcome your feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
