Student advocate plans to ask questions, keep administrators and faculty accountable

BY CASEY SAXTON
Asking a lot of questions and working to get just as many answers is my goal this year as your student advocate. I asked to write this weekly column not only as a way of documenting my experience but to keep me accountable to you. My pledge to my fellow Aggies as I ran for office last spring was that I would be a vocal advocate who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo when necessary. I’m looking forward to doing that and I’m looking forward to keeping you filled in on how it goes.
What surprises me about college is that we, as students, are always encouraged to ask questions, try new things and not accept everything that we’re told at face value. We’re told to educate ourselves and develop our own opinions. That applies most of the time, except when the question might be about a policy, practice or procedure that’s been around at the school for years. When you ask questions about those, often the response is a little cold and prickly and answers are hesitantly given. My suspicion about that type of response is that faculty, staff and administration are simply reluctant to change or try something new. I might be wrong on that, but for now, that’s my suspicion.
I am impressed with the large majority of USU staff and how student-focused most of them are. I feel very confident that I will be successful as I seek answers to questions this year and perhaps even propose a few changes to things. If I get pushback or don’t get answers to questions I will be open and honest with you about it.
There are things I don’t understand, and the first step to understanding is to ask questions and get educated on the subject. Most of the time I accept the answers I have been given because I understand the reasoning behind a certain policy or situation. This is what I hope that faculty, staff and administration will understand as I ask questions to them this school year. If it looks like something can be done better in a different way I will advocate for what’s in the students’ best interest.
Why does our math education perquisite “expire” after a year? Why don’t we have more food variety on campus from known vendors? Why don’t potholes get filled in the blue premium parking lot? Why do business students have to pay such high differential tuition? Why are textbooks bought back for so little from the Campus Store? Why is the athletics student fee so high? Why do some professors require a textbook and never use it? Why is customer service bad at the parking office? Why do we water sidewalks rather than grass in some areas of campus?
Those are just some questions I might ask this year and work to get answers to. My goal at the end of the day is simply to make student life better at Utah State. You can help. Please send me questions or concerns via Twitter @AggieAdvocate, email at studentadvocate@usu.edu or drop a suggestion in one of the five small suggestion boxes located around campus.

— Casey Saxton, a senior majoring in business administration and marketing, serves as the student advocate vice president for the USU Student Association. He can be reached in TSC 340 or by email at studentadvocate@usu.edu. Follow Saxton on Twitter at @AggieAdvocate.