Student Government Association President Andrew Rose may very well be doing a lot for the student body, but no one would know it. He is the least visible student body president at this university in at least the past two years, and while he condemned public displays by his predecessors Aaron Kraus and Tim Daly, if Rose wants to be significant to the student body this year, he must concede some of that unwillingness to be public and realize that making noise is an important part of any politician’s career – SGA president or United States president.
The SGA president is the only avenue through which university students have a united public face in the state, county and city. And while Rose may attribute actions of SGA presidents in the past as “stunts,” those “stunts” achieved precisely what he is missing from his term right now.
The presidency is no longer about internal policy and organization. Instead, it has recently evolved (for the better) to be all about making the needs of the student body heard. The SGA president will never yield the same type of power that big time decision-makers in the university, state and in the University System of Maryland have, but there is something he can do that rivals that power – make the student voice heard so that those leaders can’t ignore it.
At this time last year, most had heard about Kraus because of the media attention garnered by his hunger strike on Lawyers’ Mall in Annapolis in June 2004. And by this time two years ago, many already knew who Daly was for the attention he garnered dragging a beat-up Pinto to the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion. And because of those “stunts,” everyone knew what those presidents, and thus the majority of their students, stood for.
But at this point in time, it’s very difficult to discern what Rose stands for. He needs to speak up.
As the Board of Regents and the administration push full steam ahead against riots, Rose says that he is working on an alternative plan – and we’ll take his word for it, for now – but where was his voice this summer when the regents first proposed tightening the policy? The students’ closest ally in the case of rioting right now is university President Dan Mote, who advocates there be as many options as possible when students face punishment for involvement with riots. Students should have Rose, too.
Like it or not, students need something tangible from having chosen to place Rose in his position.
While Rose may indeed be fighting for students day and night, without becoming more public soon (and by soon we mean months ago), it may be too little too late. Lucky for Rose, it’s still early. But the clock is ticking.
