On the outside, looking back
HELENA PAYNE
Assistant News Editor
Not surprisingly, under our very own Dome, students seem to be polarized along the sides of either student government fanatics or those who could care less. After all, how many class dinners can a person take? Furthermore, with all the Notre Dame T-shirts, aren't our toddler-sized wardrobes full? Although I have seriously been pondering these questions, I will get to the point.
The truth is that student government does have a significant and necessary function. I say this as a former insider and current outsider to student government. My little government stint lasted for three semesters starting as a freshman council officer and ending as a sophomore council committee member. By my sophomore year, I had begun the transition into an outsider role by reporting on the Campus Life Council (CLC) for The Observer.
My experience has been that student government — whether it is CLC or office of the president — has the goal of enhancing the experience of Notre Dame students. The class councils in which I participated were sustained by our underclassmen enthusiasm, but especially as a freshman, I was too swept up in the excitement to realize that student government had enemies. As an outsider, I was more attentive while also seeing that student government members continue to plan and provide exciting activities for the improvement of student life despite the criticism. Unfortunately, however, there remain students who are either unaware of the events or unappreciative of the effort.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of any representative government is that the people's voices can be heard. The Notre Dame student government has taken strides to hear the voices of the students it represents through town hall meetings and accessibility. Naturally, at Notre Dame there are different attitudes about student government ranging from pessimistic to optimistic, but too often we hear an abundance of opinions and not enough suggestions until it's time for an election. Then, all of a sudden somebody wants cable in the dorms or the return of Sophomore Siblings weekend. I encourage more dialogue between student government and the students. Constructive criticism is great but ideas and action are even better. The only way people can legitimately complain or claim to have the solutions to student government's problems is if they actually understand student government from the inside and outside. This does not mean that everyone has to join student government during their undergraduate years, but students should attempt to talk to a member to see what the student government really does beyond class dinners and dances.
Generally, student government consists of students highly committed to making the Notre Dame experience more positive. They want to break barriers between students and administrators and faculty. The members try to listen to students' ideas on issues, but when the town hall meetings are virtually empty, students shouldn't be surprised that it is easy for student government members to become comfortable with the status quo. After all, they are students with their own priorities in addition to being a representative for their peers.
I urge students to articulate their ideas and learn more about the activities of student government. Yes, there is much more to life than student government, but there is also much more to student government than dinners and T-shirts.
All News Stories for Wednesday, January 23, 2002
