Monday night you should have received a HOWL email from Student Body President Andy Walsh detailing the upcoming, hour-long Brickyard rave on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m.
Sounds like fun, right? We think so too. This event is all good and fun — and that’s about it.
Student Government is looking far too similar to a party-planning committee, in our eyes.
While we think our Student Government should value student interests — not “college-student” interests.
This is not to say we’re complaining about the rave. We love a good party and have all secretly dreamed of dancing the night away in the Brickyard, perhaps even to the tune of Van Halen’s 1979 classic. But we think this falls under the duties of the Union Activities Board and that there are bigger things our Student Government should worry about.
We ask our student officials to avoid making the mistakes of the Association of Student Governments, which ignores the big issues — such as tuition hikes and budget cuts — to focus on the far less impactful problems — such as paying for hotel rooms at leadership conferences.
Yes, we remember last semester when Walsh went to bat for N.C. State students over the proposed change in drop/add dates. Before that, he was at the helm overhauling the athletic ticket system and helping University Communications and Campus Police update the WolfAlert System. And even before that, he attended hearings on Student Fee increases, lobbying for student interests.
That is the Andy Walsh we want to see more of — especially near the end of his term.
Student Government is doing many good things, but why should its most visible accomplishment for our community be a party in the Brickyard?
If we’re going to party, then at least let’s find a reason to celebrate. A successful May Day march to the capitol to protest against proposed budget cuts may be something to commemorate after the fact. But for now, let’s not party our brains out when we have bigger things that call for collective action.
Next year, we will have a new Student Government. Its new members will have a chance to create a legacy for future N.C. State students, and we hope to one day see a legacy we can approve of — legacy of standing up to the the General Assembly and Board of Governors, and rallying behind students who disagree with the proposed budget cuts, developing more transparency and revitalizing the ASG. Then, we might have a reason to party. But for now … not really. We’ll be out there, anyway, because we’re not the types to turn down a party.
