If you go back and read almost every article written about the Student Union over the past two years, they almost all contain a similar quote from either a representative or someone on the executive board: “We need to do a better job communicating with the student body.”
The current Student Union has completely dropped off the radar of Boston University students. The Union has slipped into such oblivion that the Free Press isn’t even willing to print Union articles on the front page. Patrick Sullivan’s opinion piece (“The Union’s failure to represent its students,” page 9, Nov. 30) criticizing the Union is the only press outside of Christina Crapanzano’s bi-weekly meeting summaries that their organization has received all semester. Their website even went without update from April 28 to Nov. 30. So, where’s the improvement in communication?
For far too long this Student Union has tried to sell us on the concept that their lobbying will make our student experience better. Well, if holding a few meetings with administrators over the course of the past year and a half is the standard, maybe the Union’s promises are true. But if you expect this current Student Union to actually make relevant changes on campus while you still attend this university, you’re going to graduate disappointed.
While I have no doubt that the Union Executive Board and General Assembly are doing their best to try to solve campus problems, they are simply not succeeding in rallying the student voice. There is certainly no shortage of students who are disappointed with their undergraduate experience – their frustration is caused by the Guest Policy, a poor convenience points system, a wounded Greek community, grade deflation and dozens of other concerns. Still, the Union can only manage to attract about 20 students per meeting.
But what about cable and the anti-discrimination clause? Certainly it was the Union’s lobbying that brought about those changes last year. Unless Aram Chobanian was president of the Student Union, that’s absolutely untrue. When the administration wants change, it happens. A Student Union that simply “holds meetings” allows the administration to change when it’s ready (or, more immediately, when Robert Brown is ready). A Student Union that can come up with some way to effectively rally the student voice and coordinate true campus communication will pressure change to happen now.
Hopefully we’ll see some new faces and fresh ideas on the Union in the spring (and if you ever expect to see change, you better hope there will be some new faces on that Executive Board in the fall). Stop meeting and start acting – show the student body some concrete and measurable progress and maybe they’ll start paying attention.
Nick Riotto COM ’07 2005 Student Union Presidential Candidate
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