One party or no party: The current state of FSU’s Student Government
Of the 48 Senate seats available, only 19 students ran, 16 of which were unopposed
Student Government elections have come and gone, and of the 48 seats available, only 19 students came forward to run, 16 of which were unopposed, with no vote having been allowed for students with over 60 credit hours. That means 38 ballot positions were completely empty. No real candidates, no real race.
The Student Senate is responsible for the distribution of the $13 million budget for our Student Union and Campus recreation activities. This is an enormous responsibility, and it would be fair to say that such a task should require the full attention of a dedicated assortment of students that properly represent the entirety of our university.
This is not the case.
In the past year, all SGA positions that allowed for party alignment (excluding the BSU) consisted of members of one on-campus political party, the Advance Party. Advance members held all 80 seats of the Student Senate, the Cabinet, the Treasury, Vice Presidency, and Presidency.
The Advance party logo
This is not to say that these senators and executive members were misaligned with the needs of the school, or have sought out to crush any opposition in a Vanguard/Big-Brother type manner, but our student government has essentially functioned under one-party rule for a period of time. The positive work SGA has done should be recognized, but t discomfort lingers under the gaze of the feathered capital “A.”
The greatest factor to blame here is apathy. Our student body doesn’t seem to be fully aware of the influence that SGA has with such a massive budget, and how easy it can be for a candidate to run for these positions. Most of this comes down to clarity and outreach. Several years ago, the Student Senate would release monthly newsletters and would actively run competitive elections up and down the ballot, but in recent years, this has not been the case.
So now, the 70th Student Body Senate will only have 40 seats filled (including several empty seats from Spring) of the total 80, just enough to call a quorum, but not enough to allow for absences.
Any form of government, whether it be one of a University or one of a Nation, depends on the fair representation of its constituents. How far have we fallen as the “Unconquered” university to set our entire Activities budget in the hands of a half-filled room?
We as a student body must set up against this level of widespread apathy and must organize from the ground up to ensure our Florida State University remains in top shape, in both how we treat our campus and our students. This election proved that we aren’t quite there yet, but I hope in the coming years that the ‘Noles will prove me wrong.
The remaining empty seats in the Senate, COGS, and Recreation Board are open for application through the SGA website.