Editorial : Full representation in SA would empower undergraduate student voice

A casual competition among Student Association members highlights the critical lack of student activism in campus affairs.

SA, the student political body responsible for addressing undergraduate concerns, has 48 of its 71 possible seats filled. Until Monday, three schools — more than 1,500 undergraduates — remained completely unrepresented: the School of Information Studies, the School of Architecture and the School of Education. Now, only the School of Architecture, which has about 550 students enrolled, lacks representation.

Full representation would offer visible and lasting effects, as an increase in diverse perspectives would yield broader changes at Syracuse University. New faces challenge obsolete issues and empower segments of the student body previously ignorant of their ability to make change.

With 10 new members elected on Monday, bringing the total seats filled from 38 to 48, it is clear SA has acted and delivered on what should have been a priority since numbers declined years ago. The pathetic elections for SA president, which barely attract 10 percent of the student vote, and dismal turnout for nearly every informational meeting, even on major issues like MayFest, underscore SA’s poor self-promotion.

This is not the fault of Neal Casey’s administration nor Jon Barnhart’s before him. It was a cumulative disaster for the undergraduate voice that existed before any current members can remember. But SA should take its unofficial competition further with an official campaign to fill the rest of the seats and increase student awareness. No issue on SA’s agenda is more pressing than poor student involvement. As a governing body, public involvement sits at its very core.

The harmony between SA and the administration and the relative ease with which SA passes resolutions are the results of poor representation, not contentment, among undergraduates. Students, like most citizens, are apathetic to their governing bodies unless they feel empowered by them.

So, how could SA further its program to attract interest? In short, be obnoxious. Send blasts out to the student body about the regular meetings. Send undergraduates weekly updates on issues. Utilize Twitter and Facebook or sign up for e-newsletter services like Constant Contact. In boring many to sleep, you will likewise pique others’ interest and make SA a more relevant and influential institution.