BETTER STRANGERS: State Of The Union

The student government has finally started making headlines. Unfortunately, they were the sort of scandalous headlines normally associated with real politicians. Uh oh, scratch that last bit — it’s taboo to suggest that our Union reps aren’t real politicians. That sort of slander is reserved only for “uninvolved students,” or students who “don’t care.” Those taboo thoughts are just shrugged off as the mumblings of a disgruntled few, even if we all think them from time to time. Well, the problem with dismissing those disgruntled students is that they are, well, students at this University — students who the Union is supposed to serve. Like it or not, there are students at this University who feel the Union is doing a poor job, and they are upset about it. The Union needs to find a way to fix it.

The Union is in the most utterly unfortunate position imaginable. As it stands, the majority of students don’t take the Union seriously because it has yet to accomplish one of the coveted two goals: cable and guest policy reform. However, it is impossible for the Union to make considerable progress in those areas — let alone drastic reversals of policy — unless they have a strong student backing. But the Union won’t be able to rally thousands of students behind them until they accomplish one of the major goals. The Union isn’t caught between a rock and a hard place; they’re caught between a rabid wolverine and a flaming pit of death.

So what can they do? Well, maybe it’s time for the Union to take a whole new approach. Not with new agendas or initiatives, but with their image.

First off, let’s drop this Moffo stuff. President Zach Coseglia began his first presidential address by lamenting the recent “scandal.” Come on, this is not a scandal. A scandal is when the Union president gets caught in a seedy North End motel with an ostrich and a bottle of cheep scotch. Mike Moffo resigned. It only turns into a scandal when we focus on it and salivate over it, waiting for more juicy details to come out. The first duty of the new president should have been to get off the topic before it monopolized the next day’s headlines.

Second, all this “The Real Deal … recharged” stuff is cute, but in the end, it’s just words. Every slate has a catchy slogan, but it’s meaningless to the students because that is all we know them as. What does “Recharged” tell us? Nothing. There’s an old saying, “actions speak louder than words.”

We need to see people. We need to see faces. And we need to see them now. The Union is actually intimidating; it’s a group of people whose names we vaguely know making decisions about the school. We need to know who our Union reps are. Not just their names on a letter in the Opinion section of The Daily Free Press, but out on campus where we can see them and get to know them.

How could they accomplish that? How about holding the Union meetings in heavier trafficked areas. Right now, the Union meets in the Photonics Center, which only a small portion of students use on a regular basis. Instead, rotate the location of Union meetings to the dorms — and don’t hold them in a back room; put them right out where everyone can see them. Hold them in cafeterias, or even the lobbies. Is it a noisy and disruptive place to hold such an important meeting? Yes, but it won’t be after people realize what’s going on. You’d easily break any previous records for attendance at a single meeting. Plus, we’d all get to see what you actually do — and that, in turn, is a little added motivation to work harder — the hockey team says they play better when they have a large crowd.

Next, think smaller. Smaller activities, smaller groups, smaller venues. Small means intimate, and intimate means we get to know you. Bravo to Zach Coseglia’s Monday perspective detailing upcoming events. It’s just too bad that it was bogged down with an extra 700 words (most of which were adjectives) that took the focus off of the really cool events. Just cut to the chase and let people know, “Hey, there’s gonna be Jell-O Wrestling!” That’s the kind of thing that everybody’s been waiting for, ever since they saw MTV Spring Break as a 13 year-old. A date auction with the athletes and leaders of BU? Hell yeah! The very mention of selling the girls’ varsity lacrosse team to the highest bidder is enough to bring in a horde of spend-happy fellows.

Back Bay Ball, though larger, is ripe with opportunities to show off the new Union image. Most students probably don’t even know the Ball is a Union-run event. You already know how popular it is, so cash in on it. Zach, you and the Union should put on name tags and greet students at the door. Sound silly? It’s called a receiving line, and what better way for us to know who to thank for the great time.

Think about what the students really like. That Eight Ball bash is a great idea — why not expand on it? Students love playing pool, so why not let them play free during the week leading up to the tournament. It wouldn’t bring in money, but Union reps could hang out in the games room, and we could get to know them. Movies on the BU Beach? Everybody loves those — do more. It’s another great place to meet people. Before the show, circulate through the crowd and introduce yourselves. You’d be surprised how many people would tell you that they really appreciate what you’re doing.

Even though the Union is in a difficult position, they still have the most powerful advantage of all: they are our peers. They aren’t 50-year-old professional politicians with an agenda for re-election — they are just students like us who stepped up and want to make changes. Use that advantage to it’s fullest. If Strom Thurman tried to infiltrate the GSU, he’d get beaten like a narc at a biker rally. But the Union reps can just walk up to a table of kids eating lunch and say, “Hi, what would you like the Union to be doing?”

As it stands now, it’s hard to tell whether the Union is a bunch of students or politicians. However, they’ve got a chance to change everybody’s mind once and for all and show us that they are not scandal-ridden-squabblers — to show us that they are not politicians — but just our fellow students who want to make a difference.