With electoral panhandling in the Brickyard finally over and the campus mostly restored to its pre-election beauty, students can now focus on final exams while the political games shift to the back rooms of Witherspoon and the pages of this paper.

It’s an amusing time of year, getting to watch certain individuals who had no tangible influence over the election results try to force-frame an agenda for the rest of us by listing demands few students would consider and even fewer would support. These arguments are inevitably couched in the language of diplomacy as a way to mask ulterior motives, for example proposing a cut in a given fee “as a gesture of good faith” that is, in reality, intended to provide room for fee increases elsewhere while staying under the fee cap established by UNC President Erskine Bowles.

The most cloying of these public declarations is the insistence that some action or concession must be made by the Student Government to “win back the trust of the student body.” This line of fallacious rhetoric tries to feed off our collective cynicism to build support for all but the most idiotic of ideas, yet it is bereft of both logical and physical data to justify it. There is simply no evidence in the electoral record to suggest dissatisfaction with Student Government is held by anything more than a small, disaffected minority of the campus.

Consider, as an example, the races for the top four positions in Student Government. In the initial round of voting, candidates who were products of the current system and generally favored minor improvements on the status quo won 70 percent of the votes for student body president, 66 percent of the votes for Student Senate president, and 52 percent of the votes for student chief justice.

This pattern was reinforced in the runoff. With Student Government incumbents holding every spot on the ballot for president and treasurer, the student body was content with its choices and both races were consequently decided by razor-thin margins obtained through personal contact instead of weighty debate on the issues. In the only race where there was a clear choice between the current embodiment of Student Government and a “burn it down and start over” approach — the Student Senate presidency — the student body delivered an overwhelming landslide in favor of staying the course.

There is no dispute that a mandate was certainly delivered. It was just not the one Student Government’s detractors claim. No, the student body instead issued a mandate to the administration of this University that it’s time for a change. It’s time to honor the words “students first” by actually putting students first, enabling everyone to develop themselves and their capabilities while still enjoying everything that makes the college experience meaningful. It is one thing to “acquiesce to some things” as advocated in this paper when doing so provides meaningful results toward that goal. It is quite another when acquiescence becomes an end unto itself and the students gain nothing for their efforts.

The notion that the Student Government — and by extension the student body — works with the administration from a “position of weakness” or subservience reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of power, its nature and its distribution. No one disputes that power can be conferred or withdrawn, gained or lost. But power can also be created, woven ex nihilo based on nothing more than the persuasive strength of ideas backed by soundness of conviction and force of will. Once created, this form of power is immutable. It cannot be seized or destroyed or eroded — only voluntarily surrendered through cowardice or incompetence.

I can speak only for myself with this column, but I find a very bright and clear line dividing cooperation from obsequity. The student body spoke clearly last week that it’s time for a change in this University, and I intend to honor that mandate. My hope is that those who disagree will join our cause — or get out of our way.

T. Greg Doucette is the president of the Student Senate and executive vice president of the student body. If you are interested in helping Student Government bring about tangible changes for the student body, contact him at [email protected].