The ASUO is not known for its record-keeping prowess. Institutional memory seems to be of little importance to student government, illustrated by their lackadaisical approach to maintaining records.
The ASUO does not keep track of campaign expenditure paperwork for ASUO candidates after the campaign season. This may appear to be a trifling concern but it illustrates the ASUO’s generally lazy approach to bureaucracy, a problem that becomes all-too glaring once student government wants to actually adhere to rules.
This lack of institutional memory does a disservice to student government. Maintaining records, even if only for a few years, creates a link to the past. The alternative, and the present reality, means that important decisions are clouded by willful ignorance.
Surely the ASUO could reform its policies. How can students expect the ASUO to function properly when paperwork and records drift into the ether year after year? How can the ASUO expect students to view student government as a mandate-driven administration when it barely comprehends the problems encountered in the past?
In the past, similar errors have been repeated in the ASUO as a result of negligent record keeping. In 2003, a student-seating glitch accounted for a $40,000 surplus in the Athletic Department Finance Committee budget. The problem had likely occurred in the past, but there was not way of verifying this information.
When student elections are concerned, it is important to maintain the proper documentation for the sake of transparency. When candidates – or the ASUO – are not held accountable for the rules, the grievance process becomes moot. The grievance process becomes even more insignificant when members of the ASUO refuse to release grievances to the public, a violation of public record laws.
There is only so much physical space in which to store documents. This is understandable. But in the digital realm, with its near-limitless storing capacity, this is not a problem. In fact, the ASUO has embraced online record keeping, but only to a limited extent. Senate bills are slow to reach the Internet, as are Constitution Court decisions, but inevitably they arrive. In order to increase institutional memory, codify bureaucratic rules and adhere to state law and ASUO rules, student government should work to revamp its record keeping, using the Internet to store and track information.