The fact that the application deadline for the Boston University Student Union Executive Board came and went without the interest of a complete team of contenders this week is neither the stuff of shock nor interest to most of the school’s students.
And Union has not proven itself worth the attention of any nonmembers. It has accomplished nothing of note this year, last year or in recent history. And through the mindless minutia and irreverence of meetings and minutes, members yell and pout, and each rant falls on deaf ears beyond Union’s narrow audience. Nothing seems to get done, and when the Student Elections Committee &-&- which functions as an authority over Union election proceedings &-&- did not alert Union that the deadline for applications would not wait for more candidates after the two groups had first agreed it would, it was clear any authority Union held was insignificant.
And while blaming an unaccommodating administration for negligible progress seems like bad excuse-making, the members of Union are not always at fault for their inefficiency. So when everything else seems to be falling apart, and with interest fleeting, Union proposed something at a meeting Monday that made sense, that could stand to incite interest and potentially espouse change at BU: It wants to include all students &-&- not just members &-&-&- in decision-making.
By adding referendums to the new election ballot &-&- which will be available to all students &-&- voters will have an opportunity to take stances on things like gender-neutral housing and tuition control. And they won’t even have to step foot inside the lion’s den.
Moreover, now that only one incomplete slate is on the ballot for next year’s executive board, voters will have the opportunity to write-in any student for any of Union’s positions. Candidates detached from the organization or from the aim of a team could be a breath of fresh air and serve as the first independent thinkers Union has seen in awhile.
If Union wants to stand as something significant, it needs to understand that banging a gavel will do nothing for this community. Union will be at its best when it serves as a rallying point around which students can gather rather than a behind-closed-doors bureaucracy. Ultimately, it is students who incite change, not a handful of blowhards. Union needs to continue to stand as a platform for the student body, not its omnipotent ambassador.
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