The Student Government spring elections are approaching, and I am not expecting a massive turnout at the end of this month. Why don’t students spend five minutes online to select candidates? Here’s the only reason you need: the Student Government appears to do almost nothing for students.

In reality, this simply isn’t true. Based on the SG budget for 2007-2008, roughly $100,000 is spent on student organizations or major events on campus. And all this comes at the reasonable fee of $8.85 per student. But it really is difficult to see that paltry sum of money do much for the average student.

So what is it going to take to improve student turnout? What is it going to take to improve 1.9% total voter turnout rate in the prior fall general election and the 3.4% turnout on the recent fee referendum?

For one, I say we should be willing to accept a minor fee hike with the aim of increasing available money in the budget. I know that everyone hates fee increases, but be reasonable: is the extra $1.15 it takes to round the fee off to a nice, even $10 dollars really going to destroy your life and bring financial ruin to you and your family?

But making small tweaks to the finances is only effective if SG listens to the students and makes the budget widely available and highly visible. If push comes to shove, I am willing to sit down and type a broad outline of the budget and submit it for publication in the Technician in lieu of my column.

The solution to this problem is twofold. SG needs to be transparent and make the budget freely available and widely distributed. We also need to take this one step further: pass bylaws or enact legislation to mandate an open, constant line of communication with all students. And this can’t be broad, superficial communication. Perhaps monthly, town-hall style forums or properly constructed focus groups could be used to gauge campus attitudes and the overall desires of the student body with regard to SG.

And heaven knows we need to have SG listen to the students. The entertainment our University offers us at some of the bigger events on campus, in my opinion, has been decreasing in terms of entertainment value. The only way this is going to change is if the student body acts collectively to put people into SG that will work to get whatever it is we want done.

On the administrative side, I feel the Chancellor and other top University officials should consider a few small changes that move the decisions that will affect students in any significant way onto the shoulders of SG. In that respect, if SG comes forward with an idea regarding ticket distribution for athletic events, the administration should be willing to accept this plan, within reason.

So join the Facebook groups for candidates and read the little fliers posted on campus. Talk to your friends about who should win what office. Or if you really need it, sleep in on the weekends.

The only thing that will really matter, though, is taking five minutes to vote on March 25.

E-mail Paul your thoughts about elections to [email protected]