The bloodless transition of power within the ASUO is almost complete; it’s a slow process, but this is how democracies work, after all, even flawed ones like our student government.
In the coming days, next year’s elected officials will start filing into the ASUO office, eager to take the reins of student government. Undoubtedly, they assume that they will do a terrific job, and that praise and accolades will rain down upon them like tickertape at a hero’s homecoming parade. This all depends, naturally, on how they perform next year.
Let the mistakes of the past shape the future.
This editorial is for you, future ASUO leaders. It is a primer on exactly how to win friends and influence people the ASUO way, without falling into the all-too-common pitfalls of student government.
The Executive
The ASUO president and vice-president must act as transparently as possible. It is their job to work for all students, not simply the members of the ASUO. They must set boundaries, rules and stipulations. They must let their underlings know exactly what is expected of them.
The Senate
It is important that student senators act professionally. After this year’s senate debacle, featuring its Rogue’s Gallery of unprofessional characters, this cannot be emphasized enough.
Aside from this, senators must act ethically. They must recuse themselves from voting for programs in which they have an interest – as in they are members, or they will benefit from the vote in any way. This may seem like a quibbling concern, but if senators do not do this then it calls into question every vote they have ever cast.
Further, they must maintain consistent office hours and refrain from filing personal attacks in the guise of grievances against each other, because that sort of activity is also transparent – in a petulant sort of way.
The Programs Finance Committee
The PFC is in charge of dispensing the incidental fee to student groups. This job should not be as political as it often becomes, because the dispersion of student funds must be done in a “viewpoint neutral” manner. What the job ultimately boils down to is looking at a group’s spending pattern, then working within the constrains of the benchmark. Sometimes this means having a malleable set of principles.
Like senators, PFC members must never vote for groups in which they participate. Ultimately, the PFC has a thankless job. Some student groups, when they do not receive the amount of money they want, make unfounded accusations, but you must take these in stride.
These guidelines may seen self-intuitive, but as we consistently see they are not. The ASUO is a powerful force, and its members should therefore respect the institution of student government, and the guidelines of its governance; do not let petty politics, unethical activities or unprofessionalism get in your way.