Last spring I spent many a morning and afternoon distributing bagels, flipping pancakes, yelling my name and approaching meandering, hungry-looking students.
No, I wasn’t panhandling on campus; I was electioneering!
In an effort to convince those students of the importance of our own student government and their respective voices in the governmental process, I’d go to embarrassing lengths to get-and hold-their attention. I even brought my guitar one day to bring back that groovy, activist feeling from the swingin’ ’60s.
No dice. I was usually met with a mix of stares, smiles and well-timed profanity.
After that glorious semester of propounding myself and my party, which was victorious, I hunkered down over the summer in meetings and discussions to learn how to fulfill better the role to which I’d been elected.
I know how many of you feel about ASUU-that it’s full of a bunch of uninformed yuppies looking to gussy up their rsums, none of whom has a clue as to what is going on unless they see it on VH1.
I used to think the same thing. But beneath all the bureaucracy that admittedly exists-droning rhetoric, constrictive rules, ridiculous regulations, prohibitive policies and miles of red tape-lies the heart of ASUU: students like you.
They struggle to pay tuition, make payments and eat more than Top Ramen. Some are married, most are single, many are brilliant, others are politicians, some are grandstanders, others are humble to a fault and most-if not all-just want to get through this experience as best they can and maybe succeed at it along the way.
At the risk of sounding like LaVar Burton, you don’t have to take my word for it. The proof is in the political pudding.
In each branch of our student government, you’ll find dedicated, hardworking students who spend long hours in cramped cubicles and stuffy meetings simply because they want to serve. Compensation (contrary to some popular belief) is minimal to non-existent, with many volunteer/non-paying positions dutifully staffed each semester.
The latest challenge to be put before ASUU is the student health insurance debacle. I won’t go into the details, but I will lay out how our government has handled it.
I’ve heard vehement arguments from both sides. Some demand that ASUU do away with insurance altogether and install a nationally socialized health-care system (which is, unfortunately, a little bit beyond the student government level). Others think health insurance should be mandatory for everybody, everywhere, all the time.Most students, however, fall somewhere within those extremes.
Representatives, senators and appointed officials spent hours researching insurance costs and plans, possible outcomes to any policy changes, polling students and classes to determine the level of support and more to decide fairly what should be done to fix the current, failing system.
This effort culminated in several hours of heated debate Tuesday night. That’s hours of strong opinions, questions of ethics, logic and reason, all to determine one thing: the best interest of the student body.
No matter what you think about ASUU, don’t assume its members are uninformed or party organizers.
They work hard. They take their responsibilities seriously. And they’re just like you and me.
Editor’s Note: In the interest of full disclosure, Eric Vogeler is currently serving as a Humanities Representative in the ASUU Assembly.