STAFF EDIT: Reorganize Student Union

Although the Student Union finally achieved changes to the guest policy last semester, this successful instance of changing something students care about is unfortunately a very rare exception to the Union’s usual inactivity. This semester, the Union has declared restructuring itself its top priority. If the Union fully devotes itself to thoroughly redoing its constitution, it can actually become a smoothly operating body that can realize even more successes like the guest policy reform.

Considering all the resignations, scandals, funding problems and procedural issues that plague the Union every year, fixing the Union itself is long overdue. The Union showed last spring that it can make real progress on one issue in a semester, and that issue must be internal reform this time. Until the Union becomes a fully functional body, it can only devote itself to one issue at a time.

This work must be completed this spring and must be done right. In light of the illegitimate Senate elections last fall and consistent wasting of time pouring over the vague constitution every time someone resigns, the Union needs to completely scrap the existing laws and start over.

By debating all the small details now, the Union can streamline its constitution and stop worrying about dealing with the same problems over and over again next year. First, the Union needs to set up more orderly processes to deal with resignations. However, by becoming members of an orderly organization, the students involved with the Union could accomplish their tasks and develop devotion to their positions. And the student body as a whole might even develop some minimal respect for and interest in the Union.

Additionally, election laws desperately need reform to prevent another fiasco like last fall’s Senate elections, where a corrupt system did not even require voters to prove they lived in the residence they voted for. Also, the current system of representation based on residence does not allow for residence halls to have any continuity in representation because senators generally move every year. With elected representation based on schools, students could develop some loyalty to their senators and the Union would function more like a real government with less time wasted replacing the entire Senate every year.

A complete overhaul of the Student Union bylaws and constitution should have happened long ago. This is the proper priority for this semester and must be accomplished for the Union to operate effectively in the future. Then, the Union can return to tackling more student issues and finally become a union of students who care about their school and want to unify the student body as a whole.