Grab a pen and notepad, Student Government Association, and start taking notes. Thorough notes.
Jahantab Siddiqui of the University Commuters Association and Kareem Branch of the Residence Halls Association are the best examples of student leadership on the campus right now, and Andrew Rose and the rest of the Student Government Association need to follow their lead.
Both Siddiqui and Branch appear to be in touch with the students they represent and are loudly and effectively making use of their positions to deliver messages of the needs and wants of those students. The RHA recently proposed two initiatives that address longtime student concerns – rollover meal points and extending Late Night in the dining halls to Fridays and Saturdays. The Commuters Association has been heavily involved in criticizing parking plans and policies that they don’t believe serve commuters best, most recently including starting a task force to examine and critique game day parking.
They haven’t been afraid to speak up when they think their constituents are being disserved. They take risks, they propose things popular with students that may not necessarily be welcomed warmly by administrators. They’re also setting a high precedent for the organizations in the future. The two leaders should be commended for the very active start they’ve had this year, and encouraged to continue working with such fervor.
Rose, on the other hand, has continued to maintain his status quo copout excuse that though students have not seen much of him or heard much from him, that he is actually working very hard. But he has yet to prove that to anyone, as there have been few tangible results other than the creation of the class councils (are we still in high school?). Terp Blackout happened with help from the SGA, but other students suggested it first and put the buzz in students’ ears about it.
If future RHA leaders based their terms on Branch’s first few months, or if future UCA leaders based theirs on Siddiqui’s, the organizations would be set up for strong leadership. If an incoming SGA president took an example from Rose, the future wouldn’t be so bright.
Supposing Rose is working as hard as he says he is, he is still only doing half of his job. The other half, as has been said before, is to be a vocal and public voice for the undergraduate student body. But with College Park elections just one week away, the SGA has not done anything to publicly endorse any of the candidates or to publicly encourage students to vote. The silence is deafening.
Attracting enough attention to student causes to get things done is vital. Rose and SGA members, for the good of the students, need to take an example from those who are doing it better.
