Student Government: our voice if we use it right

The Student Government could very well be the most influential group on campus when it comes to the student experience at MNSU. There is an extensive amount of responsibility that we as the student body place into the hands of the student leaders that we choose. 

So it becomes vital for the health of our University for these students to be an accurate representation of the student body. 

The student senate is directly in charge of some of the most important issues that face the campus community. 

The potentially largest issue that the Student Government is directly in charge of is the allocation of the various student fees. The main, and most controversial being the Student Activities fee. 

Students often wonder how it is decided what money is allocated to the different non-academic departments around campus. Where does the Theatre Department, the busses, or the Student Activities get their money?

The answer is the Student Government. 

During the spring semester, the senate sits down, reviews all of the needs of the different departments and decides how much money to be allocated to each area that is funded with the Student Activities Fee. 

So that means that all of the fun activities that students choose to participate in on campus are directly in the hands of other students. 

Why is this important?

Because there was a severe lack of people signing up to be on the Student Government last semester, which led to roughly two thirds of the senate being left vacant after the election.

In a normal year, when there might be one or two vacancies, the Student Government simply fills the positions by votes amongst themselves. 

This year, they have been forced to host a special election to fill the rest of the positions in one sweep, and that election is today. 

It is imperative for students of MNSU to vote in this election, voice their opinions, and understand the gravity of their decision. 

So instead of dorm room complaints about why student fees are so expensive, get out onto the website and make your voice heard. Go into the Student Government office and air your complaints to them in person. 

We as the student body are responsible to voice what we want from our college experience. We are spending inordinate amounts of money in tuition and fees to be here, and it is a disservice to that money to not have an opinion on how it is spent. 

Go out to the polls and vote. Find out what senators to speak to about problems you are facing. We elect these senators for a reason. Utilize that resource so that the Student Government can be what it is meant to be, the student body’s voice.