Editorial: Put a new choice on the ballot to raise interest

Waning interest from a student body disillusioned with ASUA has registered already in the dearth of candidates running for office. Only 20 candidates will be competing for 13 spots this year and the two top offices of administrative and executive vice president won't even see a meaningful race as the candidates are running unopposed. Truly deplorable, especially considering a campaign law-violator is one of the two running unopposed.

Apparently, no one wants to be a part of an organization that tiptoes around issues affecting students. No one wants to be active in an organization that itself displays inaction. No one wants to be a member of a union presumed to represent students, but one that refuses to stand up to UA administrators.

Can students be blamed for their cynicism?

Until student government becomes a body that truly represents students, ASUA will continue struggling to receive - much less increase - the 10 percent of students that actually vote in their elections.

The ASUA hierarchy obviously take their positions seriously. They are quick to point out what they've done and the processes they've conceived. And elections are a heated affair, with candidates fighting for control of banner space on every Greek structure on campus.

But the upcoming elections will increasingly continue to seem a farce unless a new entry is added to the ballot to jog student interest and jar ASUA accountability.

Instead of merely selecting the next student figurehead of the administration, add a another entry - a more meaningful voting category.

Let students decide whether ASUA has a purpose, if they are completing their duty as representatives to students.

At the bottom of the ballot, put the issue in plain English. Put it in the smallest text - eliminate ASUA. A simple punch in a piece of paper will settle the issue of this government body.

The students may then have the ultimate control of the representatives responsible for their voice. They can decide then if the intergovernmental bickering, the "scandals," the general ineptitude, is worth the trouble - or if it would be a better bet to scrap the whole thing and start over. If nothing else, giving the student body the opportunity to vote on something truly important would increase the voting turnout ASUA is desperately lacking - in a sense converting disillusionment and subsequent inaction to activism.

To be fair, the students may vote that the present government system does work wonders and that they'd like to continue the process for the coming years. ASUA could receive instant justification for all their hard work and achievements with a vote in their favor.

They could wave the totals in triumph in the face of any person, or organization, who tries to question the logic of their existence.

Not a bad deal.

If ASUA is serious about capturing student interest in university issues, give them the ultimate voting power, not the pithy candidate races many have endured for the past four years. Maybe then the lavish space ASUA receives in the media will be warranted. Maybe then, they will be taken seriously.