TOMORROW, when The Cavalier Daily prints the results of this week's University elections, many who read it will ask the same question they've asked each semester for the past several years: Why is voter turnout for Student Council elections so low? How is it that the University of Virginia, a long-standing symbol of Jeffersonian democracy and Sabato-ian political interest, boasts a student population so apathetic about their own self-governance? The answer is not that the student body is irresponsible or uncaring about the University's welfare. The problem lies in the fact that, in students' minds, Student Council is too wrapped up in its own politics to truly cater to student interest.
Last week, while the rest of us were watching the men's basketball team take care of the Tarheels, Student Council was working hard to further alienate itself from the student body. At a meeting that can be described as overlong at best, Council added a last-minute referendum to this semester's ballot that, if passed, would restructure its voting process, allowing the executive vice president to vote on legislation only in the case of a tie. As harmless as such a procedure might sound, the hours of political maneuvering and personal mudslinging involved embodied the reasons that students feel little connection to those elected to represent them.
Since I have no experience in student government, I'm hardly qualified to judge whether the referendum is a good idea, or if the complex procedures enacted to get it on the ballot were valid. But regardless of which side of the issue is right, the image Student Council projected of itself after its meeting last week is that it is driven largely by the egos of "politico" personalities.
Proponents of the voting change, according to Constitution and Bylaws Committee Chair Leah Eads, argue that current Executive Vice President Rebeen Pasha wrongfully tried to block the referendum because he personally opposed it. Pasha has stated that his opposition arose only out of a desire to uphold existing rules dictating when bills must be submitted in order to appear on the agenda.
If Eads and her supporters are right, then Pasha is guilty of taking advantage of his position to obtain his own preferences. On the other hand, if Pasha actually did give the bill a fair chance, it is the referendum's supporters who are in the wrong, abusing Council's rules and procedures in order to get what they want. Either way, self-centeredness and desires for personal glorification have interfered with Student Council's ability to serve the University.
Such passionate arguments and desperate tactics might be excusable if they were used as a means of fighting for a policy that would tangibly affect students. Last week, however, this was not the case. Though plans to reorganize Student Council's voting system are significant, they hold little meaning for students who aren't associated with Council directly. This causes the general student body to view Council's squabbling over the proposed referendum as all the more pointless.
Student Council has a recent history of pursuing frivolous political action unrelated to its duty to provide for general student welfare. In the past year, Council has spent time debating resolutions regarding the war in Iraq and a living wage for University employees. These are lofty goals, considering that they involve issues that fall under the purview of federal and state governments. Plenty of organizations on Grounds offer students the opportunity to get involved in political activism, and it is unproductive for Student Council to attach its name to such issues, which should be left to ideological groups like the University Democrats or Individual Rights Coalition. Doing so only promises to disengage the interest of the student body at large.
These misguided actions create a negative reputation that distracts from much of the actual good Student Council has done. Council is responsible for such things as last year's Rock n Rally, the creation of the Hoo Crew and the annual CIO activities fair -- all programs that have enhanced the student experience at the University. Unfortunately, as Council is quick to turn away from such successes back to its self-concerned tendencies, so are students quick to return to their apathetic non-voting ways.
Student Council should not exist simply as a training ground for over-ambitious students to test their political acumen. The student body cannot be expected to vote in large numbers in University elections until the "Student" becomes as much a focus for each of Council's members as does the affairs of the "Council" itself.
Chris Kiser's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at ckiser@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 3 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 3 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
