Editorial
Leadership roles come with responsibilities
April 17, 2008
With the Student Senate elections looming on the horizon, we at the Student Voice want to encourage all students to get out and vote. Students need to remember that voting for members of the Student Senate is actually a big responsibility. You get to choose who represents you and your college life.
Whether you know it or not, Senate actually has a lot of say on this campus. We need students who are going to be professional and prepared to make major situations.
Senate votes on a number of things each week, including increases in segregated fees and the cost of tuition for the upcoming school years. They also work on approving student funding for various student organizations on campus.
In the tough situations, we expect our senators and any other students elected into leadership roles on campus to follow through on what they promised to those they represent. People in power need to always keep in mind their purpose and also remember who put you in that position, even though big-hat politicians and famous people don’t always do the same.
Although it’s not as easy to get information about the candidates on school as it is politicians like Hillary Clinton or John McCain, it could be in the future.
We at the Voice admit that we dropped the ball on this a little more than we should have. We haven’t provided the coverage and information that you, our readers, need.
We could have written information regarding what is going to happen during the voting days, or published biographies of all the candidates on the ballot. But it didn’t get done this year. And for that, we’re sorry.
In the future, we feel that Senate should have debates or more open forums. There is one forum Monday night, but they should have more leading up to the election. Other campus organizations like the Voice or WRFW could sponsor a debate so students have a chance of seeing and hearing their potential President or Senator.
However, the candidates are doing what they can to get the word out about their ideas. Candidates are sending out e-mails to all students, starting up blogs and making Facebook groups.
In the UW System, each university’s Student Senate is highly regarded as a decision-making body on the campus. The state of Wisconsin is unique in the way they use decisions made by Senate. If you get informed and get out and vote, you can make this a positive experience for the entire University.