What has Student Government actually done for the students here at N.C. State? It’s a question as old as the University and just as serious as it is cynical to some. Taken from the perspective of a one-time Student Senator, it’s a somewhat stinging question that can provoke indignant and defensive replies from even the most experienced of Student Senators.
Although the academic year is new, we have seen some progress on issues that could have a dramatic impact on student life here at NCSU, including the annual plight to review and rework the ticketing and tailgate policies as well as the monumental task of reinvigorating Hillsborough Street. Last year, SG pioneered a referendum on the proposed fee increases, added two reading days and worked to score the students another hour of tailgating.
All of these accomplishments are fine and encouraging, but for SG to really be relevant to all students on campus and a true source of authority and not just an advocacy and organizational body – they need more money. Money is a source of power for governments. While it has the potential for corruption and abuse, it can also be the catalyst for greater involvement and interest in an organization seeking to build goodwill and rein in a complex network of student organizations through its appropriation process.
There are two basic sides in SG appropriations theory: letting SG control all the money that is passed out to organizations on campus resulting in a multi-million dollar budget (ex. Florida State University) versus letting SG serve solely as an advocacy organization with little if any appropriations. Our SG currently works as a hybrid model with the Senate giving out a sum of money just under $100,000, depending on student enrollment, to organizations and serving in its capacity as an advocacy group. To date they’ve done a pretty good job of spreading around the limited funds and not seeking a fee increase since 1997, which is the current source of the funds to dole out to the student organizations.
The logic behind this argument isn’t just to give a group of Student Senators a bigger piggy bank to play with and force a fee increase on students – instead, it is intended to get more funds out to organizations that are visible on campus. The idea is to rework the way the University filters money to other eventual donor groups and, in the process, give a necessary boost to student life within the campus community.
It’s a fact that NCSU doesn’t have the tradition rich history that other schools may have, and for whatever reason we’ve struggled as a community to maintain and establish perennial campus-wide activities. Secondly, with more money comes a stronger internal order within the campus organization community as well as an increased amount of participation in elections, lobbying and candidates for SG offices.
This increased participation will have a ripple effect of building the respect and authority of SG giving them an even stronger chip at the negotiating table when it comes time to discuss fee increases with the University’s administration. More money can mean more events and larger efforts to improve campus and, by putting this money in a representative student body, it can effectively be used as a tool for the entire University.
E-mail Benton your thoughts to [email protected].
