Sometimes, campus politics are like a giant game of ‘Where's Waldo.' And not those first few easy pages.
I'm talking about that last page—the one where every person looks somewhat like Waldo, and you have to find the guy who is wearing exactly all of the correct gear.
I could not begin to count the number of times I've looked through the paper and found the face of outgoing ASM Student Council Chair Tyler Junger staring back at me. But finding pictures in the paper is like using the cheat guide in the back of the book when you absolutely cannot find that little striped shirted, red-hat traveler, Waldo.
So here is my question—Where's my voice? Where's my representation?
Although Junger is one of the most easily accessible ASM members, it is hard to find him as a leader on campus outside of the meeting room.
I see it all the time on the front page sitting through laborious meetings and making choices that apparently are affecting my life here on campus. But why do I always have to use the cheat guide?
Although he was re-elected a seat on the council last week, Junger has already made it public that he will not run for re-election as the council Chair.
And so here's my question to candidates considering a run for the position—Where are you?
Will you be in attendance at the same shows at the Union as I am? Could I find you on Library Mall supporting charity drives or awareness events? Will I happen upon you enjoying a warm day on the Terrace with your fellow students? A lot of students don't even know who you are, it would be helpful to see you out of the SAC.
ASM's Student Council website states that: ""Student Council is ASM's legislative body and serves as the official student voice on any important issues which affect UW students.""
We all have the fair opportunity to cast our votes for members of that council, but then what? The body that is supposed to be my voice in the university sinks into obscurity only showing up every other Wednesday (and then Thursday morning in the paper) as this odd sort of alternate reality.
To be quite honest, I do not believe I could be anymore disconnected from ""my voice.""
And so here's my challenge to the next Student Council Chair: Make yourself visible. Make yourself an important part of my campus, not just a fixture on the front of the Thursday morning paper.
I'm not asking you to serve me breakfast in bed every morning or call me at night to ask me how my day was. I simply want to see you out in the public, with the students. I want to know that you're attending events that matter to me and rallying for causes that benefit the university other than just next year's budget.
I don't think that is too much to ask for. You are my voice... our voice... right?
ASM claims to work toward ""maintaining and improving the quality of education and student life on campus."" We as students certainly do have many reasons to celebrate our student government, whether to thank for bus passes, a 24-hour library or book swaps.
Somewhere along the way though, the Student Council became more about the 33 elected representatives and less about the other 40,000 students. There is, of course, always the freedom for each student to attend an ASM meeting and speak for at least three minutes. Feel free to call me greedy, but didn't I elect representatives to sit through the meetings for me? With the absence of my own voice, do they really serve that role?
For any candidate considering a run as council chair, realize that you take on the responsibility of becoming a voice for 40,000 very diverse opinions. You cannot possibly fulfill that duty by simply sitting, directing a meeting every other week or spewing a quote for the paper.
You must be our voice outside of the meeting room as well. Students on campus deserve someone who is genuinely interested in their lives and is committed to being a part of them.
Make sure the 17th session of the ASM Student Council is the one where students finally can stop looking up the cheat guide in the back pages. Make it a priority as chair that students do not have to search far to find you as a part of their lives.
Let this 17th session finally provide the voice that students deserve.
Mark Bennett is a freshman intending to major in journalism. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com
