An ASUO Senate position is a lot of work. You have a hand in controlling a $12-million-dollar budget and will be leading 20,000 of your peers during their education. It should be no surprise that this requires time, energy and dedication. In spite of this, resignations have become typical.
When a senator quits, everyone suffers. Already seven members have resigned this year. That is as many as resigned all last year — and we still have another term to go. Four cited time commitment issues despite knowing beforehand that being a senator is a lot of work.
The ASUO hosts pre-campaign meetings for interested students that explain what the ASUO is all about and what is expected of you if elected. It is by no accident that one becomes a senator.
The senator position has very simple requirements. You must be enrolled at least half-time, except during summer. You must keep regular office hours. You must attend weekly senate meetings and a set number of budget meetings. Additionally, finance senators serve on a finance committee. Academic senators must serve on at least two student/faculty committees per term.
The current Senate is down two members and the ASUO is short a multicultural advocate. The Senate is supposed to be composed of 20 members: 10 academic senators and 10 finance senators. The finance senators are in charge of the allocation of the student incidental fee, a mandatory fee that all students pay every term that, for example, pays LTD bus fares for students and keeps the EMU operational.
With so much responsibility, those resigning are letting down the student government: The time the ASUO must invest in replacing people is time it isn’t spending dealing with issues and making informed decisions about our campus; a special committee must be made to hire a new person. With fewer people to do the same amount of work, the remaining senators must work even harder. The entire student-political process suffers because of this.
Voter turnout for student government elections is already low and will continue to be low as long as a good margin of the people elected quit. The senators are breaking their promise to voters who actually took the time to vote. They’re shaking faith in the student government by abandoning its leadership. They undermine their own credibility: No one will trust someone who has publicly broken a commitment to 20,000 people.
Filing for the elections starts next week. If you are interested in taking on this process, learn about it. Talk to people holding office in the ASUO, read the Green Tape Notebook (which includes the rules for being an ASUO senator), attend the pre-campaign meetings and be prepared to work hard.
Taking on a position in the Senate is taking on a process. It is making a promise to see that process through to the finish. It is a promise that only lasts nine months. 
Taking on this process requires no less than an absolute commitment: Be very aware of what you are getting into.
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