A recent poll by The Observer found that 43 percent of students "couldn't care less" about today's student body presidential election.

Yet these are most likely the same students that complain when Student Affairs starts citing 21-year-old tailgaters. These are the same students that complain about parietals, gender relations and dining hall meal plans. These are the same students that say student government is ineffective and inconsequential.

And, as long as 43 percent of the student body "couldn't care less" about student government, student government will remain powerless.

In the grand scheme of things, student government has very little power. It can allot funding to clubs, plan some activities and survey student opinions. The Student Senate can pass resolutions that only get tossed from University committee to University committee before they can even be considered by the Board of Trustees — which will simple ignore and dismiss them. Even when student leaders are given the opportunity to address the people that make the decisions around here, they are casually shrugged off as was the case last fall when students leaders presented a proposal for an off-campus commercial complex.

So considering the little official power that student government does have, why should students even care about who wins today? Because, unofficially, student government could be the most power group on campus. If student government unites almost 10,000 people behind a single goal or initiative, it will get passed — no matter how much the administration hates it.

Years ago, the administration tried to ban alcohol from campus. But students leaders and the student body didn't just sit idly by and watch it happen. Notre Dame students united, protested and the administration pulled back its plan to restrict alcohol. Thousands of screaming college students in front of the Dome sends a strong message.

So if students want student government to be effective, they need to stop sitting in their dorm rooms and complaining. Student government is only ineffective if students don't participate.

If students want a more reasonable tailgating policy, they need to attend the town meetings organized by student government and make their voices heard. It's easy for administrators to ignore a petition from a few students on the second floor of LaFortune. It's much harder to glance over thousands of students united behind one goal.

So make sure you vote today. Make your choice for the person who will best lead the student body in 2002-2003. But then, make a much more important choice. Choose to become an active voice on campus. Choose to give student government the power it needs to be effective. Choose to stop sitting in your dorm room and complaining and start doing something.

• Choosing to have a voice