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Editorial: UA needs fresh faces to run for ASUA office

In important event that affects every University of Arizona student is quickly approaching, but sadly, few will notice or decide to take part.

Applications for office in the Associated Students of the University of Arizona - an organization that sets and refines many campus policies - are due next Wednesday. As the primary and general elections unfold during the next six weeks, next year's officers will be installed into office and trusted to act for the good of more than 30,000 students.

In fact, Ben Graff and Viviane Safrin were unopposed for those two seats and had little trouble with their successful campaigns.

In addition, there were only 15 candidates for the 10 Senate slots.

It's easy to understand why more students would not want to run for an ASUA position. For starters, a recent trend has demonstrated that the top brass in ASUA have climbed their way up the political ladder. Committee members become senators, senators become vice presidents, and vice presidents become presidents.

The perception that ASUA promotes from within does not give the average student hope in running for - and successfully winning - a position.

All students, however, should remember one important fact as the election date approaches - ASUA belongs to us, the students.

Often overlooked is the fact that ASUA is not an ambiguous entity comprised of faceless bureaucrats, but rather our student government run by the students sitting next to us in class. These individuals have decided that their ideas about the future of our university were valid enough to bring before the student body. And in some cases, they were right.

Contrary to popular belief, there are no prerequisites necessary to run for ASUA office (other than being in the academic and financial graces of the university). Presidential candidates do not need years of experience as a senator before throwing their hats in the ring.

While high school student government elections are often determined by a person's social status, this is not as much the case on the college level. Students care about a candidate's platform.

If you have ideas about the UA community that you believe would benefit the students, don't be intimidated to pick an application in the ASUA office for this month's election.

This university, and especially ASUA, could not operate without student participation.

Every student has two choices come next Wednesday - run for office and see what the students think about his or her ideas, or sit back and watch as others determine the direction of our university.