What is the ultimate purpose of the Associated Students of Madison? How does a UW-Madison student government benefit the student community? And more importantly, why should we care?
These were questions The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board contemplated before agreeing to join the ASM Constitutional Convention last fall. Created to address and eliminate the muddled problems plaguing this year's desultory and inefficient student government, the ACC was formed to design a student government that focused on the students rather than its own bipolar agenda.
For weeks, representatives from The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board, The Badger Herald Editorial Board, delegates from outside student governments and General Student Services Fund groups met to meticulously winnow through and rewrite the standing ASM constitution in a steadfast effort to construct a student government that promoted the student interest.
Unfortunately, it's no secret this year's ASM has been, at its heart, a catalyst of controversy. And it's no surprise they have failed to execute the many initiatives they laid out to this board at the beginning of the year. In fact, this fall, much of ASM's time has been deeply devoted to cross-branch bickering over menial leadership roles and more oversight, oversight, oversight. For months, articles and editorial boards written in both papers surrounded the internal controversies facing ASM; little was reported on the progress and work student council executed for the 40,000 badgers they represent.
That, in itself, is not okay. Not only were we tired of fleshing out our disappointments week after week, but we were losing faith in this campus' student leadership and the shared governance that UW-Madison prides itself on. So when the opportunity arose to do something about it, we jumped on and didn't look back.
However, this isn't the first time students attempted to remodel ASM. In 2009, an ASM Constitutional Convention was created to alleviate participation and leadership problems by highlighting shared governance as well as promoting ASM as a means for students to affect change. Unfortunately for them, the initiative didn't pass. This was mostly due to the fact that open communication between the creators of the 2009 constitution and the rest of campus was limited.
That said, The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board, among others, stipulated that communication of the rewriting with the student body was required before joining the ACC. And one of the main differences between the current initiative and its 2009 counterpart is the fact that the new constitution is not set in stone. Over the next two weeks, the ACC will host ten, two-hour long town hall meetings to hear out criticisms, answer questions and make changes to the document before collecting signatures that have the potential to bring the new constitution to a vote.
If we want ASM to be a voice for the students, it is crucial we incorporate that voice in our efforts to rebuild ASM. We urge students to share their opinions and voice their concerns in our effort to change the face of ASM. That is why this new constitution is so important and that is why we, The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board, promote it.
Because we are students who believe in the accessibility and quality of public education and because we are students who advocate for an unwavering dedication to the Wisconsin Idea, we are students for a better ASM.
Full disclosure:
Although members of The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board were involved in writing the proposed ASM constitution, like all editorial board activity that work was done completely independent of our news coverage. The Cardinal's news department has had no role whatsoever in creating or planning the proposed constitution.
