EDITORIAL: SGA needs more student support

The issue: SGA would like more involvement from students

Our stance: Students should take advantage of PUC’s student government

One thing all PUC students have in common is they have seen flyers, received countless emails and heard about initiatives the Student Government Association has been working on over the past few semesters, especially as readers of this newspaper. Over the past few years, the SGA has built itself up as quite a force to be reckoned with, lobbying for the greater good of PUC students and taking on bigger and more complex issues. With that in mind, there is one problem that continuously seems to drag down the progress and accomplishments of the SGA: lack of student interest.

Most PUC students are aware that SGA elections just passed. What students may not realize, however, is that there was only one candidate for each position voted on. No one running was contested or even had an opponent, making elections just a formality.. This is hard to believe when it is almost impossible to walk around campus without hearing students talk about the aspects they dislike about PUC. So many people have opinions on the workings of PUC, whether they involve the administration, class sizes, buildings falling apart, professors causing problems or any number of other issues.

Being a part of the SGA is a fantastic way to actually change the way things work around campus. SGA obviously makes strides toward changes on campus – in the Martin administration alone they have gotten paper towel dispensers, created student discount cards (and they are cheap, too), brought back annual fall graduation and fought for student rights involving harassment and intimidation in the classroom. The SGA is an open window to the world of making change on campus. So, if you do not like something, quit complaining and join your student government.

You might feel like you do not have time to join SGA, you do not have any experience with governing or you just do not want to spend all that time at school. Well, at this point, hardly anyone besides SGA members even attends the meetings. You can make a difference by just paying attention to when meetings are and showing up with your opinions and ideas.

Over the past 10 years, there have been three re-structuring periods of SGA and, at the moment, the transition of administrative leaders is taking place. Since many affiliated with SGA are graduating and eight executive board positions are still available, hopefully students take advantage of the opportunities the organization can offer.

Students may come to school, go to class and go right back home to sleep or play endless amounts of “Skyrim” or “Call of Duty” ” but the students who stick around after class and surround themselves with activities are going to benefit from their Purdue education the most.