Around this time last year was the 2020 presidential election. My editorial from that time unsurprisingly indicated I was “glued to the TV from November 3 to November 8 […] my week of intense news watching and listening.” Oh, what a wonderful time!
This week, Mayor Bhalla of Hoboken was re-elected after running unopposed. New Student Government Association (SGA) Senators were recently elected. Soon, SGA presidential elections will be underway. It’s voting season I guess you could say!
I hope that the SGA is regaining its footing. After resignations, efforts to restructure, the writing of a new constitution that failed to pass, vacancies in the Cabinet, and a presidential election during a pandemic, all of which have happened in just the last year, the organization has surely taken a hit.
But there have been some positives too: 5 out of the 6 Cabinet members are women for the first time in Stevens history; 10 first-years were elected as Senators; experiments in outreach to the student body are happening with Quae; committees have committee heads; and so on.
I’m not a part of the SGA, and I never have been. I can’t say for sure what outreach tactics have worked for them and which ones haven’t, or what they’re currently doing to make the organization work in a more efficient way. But genuinely, I do want them to succeed, and I think a big chunk of their success depends on the student body. But from what I can tell, the pandemic and the aforementioned obstacles have caused many students to lose touch with what exactly the SGA is and how their participation, even if from a distance, can help improve Stevens.
Students behind Quae are trying to address this issue with their digital platform–an app that allows students to post poll-style questions and others to respond by voting on which choice they favor. One recent example was the question “How late should buildings stay open?” posted by the SGA, or “Add a Fall Break to the F22 semester.” Right now there are just about 100 students using the app, but if students really work to bring this number up significantly, Quae could be an incredibly effective tool for reaching the student body and making the SGA more known on campus.
For the past few SGA presidential elections, there’s always been a pair of students running as a joke alongside others who are serious. While a lot of people find it funny, I honestly think it’s a slap in the face to the people who are seriously running. It overshadows the students who have worked hard enough to even consider themselves qualified to be at the top of the SGA, and by running as a joke, it quite literally sends the message that the SGA is a joke.
Some students don’t care at all about helping to improve campus during their time at Stevens, others care a lot, and some are in the middle or closer to one end over the other. All of these positions are valid. But for those who make it known that they don’t care, who may run for SGA President as a joke, know that your actions do nothing but spread the wrong message about the SGA that is ultimately continuing to send campus life backward instead of forward.
You don’t have to be involved in the SGA, but recognizing that student government is an essential part of any college campus is vitally important. The next presidency and 2022 can be a turning point for student life, with the University Center opening soon and campus coming back to life after remote learning. With presidential elections coming up, I truly hope people take it seriously.
The Stute Editorial is an Opinion column written by the current Editor in Chief of The Stute to address and explain editorial decision making, discuss news and media issues, and develop a sense of trust and transparency between readers and members of The Stute.
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