Editorial: A.S. should focus on activism, not events

The Associated Students is supposed to be by the students for the students. However, many on campus think they have been left in the dark as far as the day-to-day operations and goals of our student government.

Our A.S. does a good job of putting on a lot of events such as Multicultural night and concerts. What is lacking is an assertive effort on the part of our government officers to engage in a lively and timely discussion about campus and community issues.

When we elected these officials, their job descriptions and their campaign promises seemed to imply a passion for public discourse followed by action. While they may be engaging in activism — and everything else they promised — the student body doesn’t see it.

What we really need from these officers is transparency and consistent encouragement to be active and informed. Students should have the opportunity and should be pushed to get involved with not only the big events but also the day-to-day discussions about where our money should and should not be spent.

We have, as of late, been impressed with the efforts of Tari Razi, our A.S. director of university affairs. As finals week approaches, students are buckling down and using the library more. Razi took charge and led the communication to spread the word about a petition for more library hours. This is exactly what we want to see more of.

She didn’t only send a blurb for the student announcements, which students rarely read, but also led a team of A.S. employees, who approached people on campus and personally asked them to get involved. This person-to-person method will really get students to pay attention.

As far as the rest of the officers, we’d like to see them follow Razi’s lead. We’d like to see things such as tables in front of the Bell Memorial Union with packets and fliers explaining what A.S. is up to and what it’s working on.

Making a more concerted effort to engage the campus community should be key for an organization that proudly calls itself the Associated Students.

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