As SGA elections approach in a week’s time, it is one of the few times students get the opportunity to demonstrate the limited power they have in the administration of the university. We, as students, get to elect our representatives.

The president of the student government, through the help of two vice presidents, forms a bridge between the student body (including the Senate) and the administration. He or she is the voice of students at official functions, one of the ways students can advocate for themselves. Student politics does not have a hold on Xavier.

Campaign seasons merit attention, but for the most part, the student body is blissfully ignorant of the inner workings of SGA. That makes this week the key moment of student politics at Xavier for the academic year. It ought to go without saying, but here it is: VOTE. This year, voting is changing from years past.

No longer will voting occur through the Portal. Instead, as Xavier moves to ditch the Portal by the end of the academic year, the voting will be hosted through a Xavier website. The website is accessible and requires a login, just like the Portal. It may require some effort to go to the new website for those of us who are accustomed to the Portal, but it is of the utmost importance. It would be impractical for the student body to work with the administration and the Board of Trustees in a direct way.

A university is not a democracy, especially one that is in the throes of a financial crisis. We must give this mandate to one student, and it is our responsibility to continue to engage in dialogue with those who are elected. This may not be feasible considering how little most Xavier students pay attention to SGA. That said, we can at least pick a moderately-responsible student to represent our interests, can’t we?

 

** Correction**
Last week, the Newswire included information on the upcoming Student Goverment election. The election will take place from 8 a.m. on Feb. 12 to 4 p.m. on Feb. 13 at www. xavier.edu/election.