On the wespeaks page of this paper on Friday, the WSA made clear their efforts to publicize and clarify their recent work. With voting turnout still under 50 percent, WSA members dropping out of the committee in high numbers, and not enough representatives from the Class of 2006 to even fill the allotted space, though, it seems clear that transparency is not all that is needed. The WSA is fighting apathy from the students it strives to represent, and no amount of e-mails and space in the Argus can solve that.
The recent Presidential and Vice-Presidential election seems to be a good sign, though. A problem that plagues a number of elections—a crop of identical, rhetoric-spouting candidates—seemed to be resolved in Jesse Watson ’06 and Monica Arduini’s ’07 election. Both candidates ran by advocating unique ideas that are in tune with student interests without harping on old issues like chalking or gender-neutral housing. Watson’s project to extend RIDE service to Middletown bars on Wednesday nights is expected to start this week. Arduini’s hope to unite the Career Resource Center and University Relations is also original and could be extremely helpful in forming connections for internships between alumni and undergraduates.
When students stormed President Bennet’s office last December, they directly bypassed their outlet for most powerful action—the WSA. The WSA is an incredibly powerful body with incredible potential, but when met with apathy from the student body they are crippled. Watson and Arduini seem to be capable of bringing real change, suggesting even shortening the four-hour meetings that turn away potential student visitors. We commend the efforts of this year’s officers, who have made constitutional and procedural change—even just this wee—to help the WSA operate more smoothly We hope that Watson and Arduini will continue along these lines and tap into the WSA’s potential, welcoming new members and new visitors, going beyond minutes, agendas and e-mail to real change—a guaranteed way to regain student interest. It will not be a mass protest, but it will be actual democracy, and bringing the rest of the student body back into that will make it a true democracy.
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