If the student turnout for Monday evening’s City Councilor-At-Large forum in the College of General Studies is any indication of student voter turnout in the early November municipal elections, nearly one-third of Boston’s residents won’t be heard. That’s because while only four out of the eight candidates showed to speak at the event, only a handful of students from not only Boston University and area colleges managed to rouse themselves enough to attend. The lack of esteem for the event represents an example of a larger problem in this city ‘- it is brimming with students, yet students remain apathetic about their governing bodies.
Student voter apathy isn’t something exclusive to the municipal elections only ‘- even when it comes to voting for the closest branch of government to them, Student Union, a student advocacy group, the BU student body shows remarkably low turnouts. The irony is that many issues being addressed by the candidates are those involving Boston’s student population. From City Council President Mike Ross’s ‘No More than Four’ ordinance to keeping the T open later to the Payment In Lieu of Taxes program, which determines how much money universities and colleges give to the city, the issues at hand may make or break the future of this generation of Boston’s students.
Though the candidates disagreed over these matters at Monday’s forum, they did all agree on the fact that Boston’s vibrant student population is an integral part of the city, affecting economy, intellectual capital and culture, among other things. But if these indispensible people are not represented by members of government who will work for them, Boston will continue being run by the very people who traditionally disagree with students. At that point, on-campus complaining would be futile ‘- the time for student action is now, during the election, not later when decisions have been made without student input.
Among the candidates who did not attend Monday’s forum is Felix Arroyo, whose campaign manager claimed that the reason for his absence is simply that Arroyo didn’t think it would be worth it. Judging by the paltry turnout and historically low sense of political efficacy on campus, perhaps he was right. It’s an unfortunate position that students have gotten themselves into, when a prominent figure in municipal government doesn’t find them worth campaigning to. Now is a crucial time in Boston politics, with upcoming mayoral and city council elections, and now would be an ideal time for those students, who make up such a huge part of the city, to show themselves at these elections, and earn themselves a government that will finally serve with student needs in mind.
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