Before voting, students should know how ASUSU works
As this year’s student government election season begins at Utah State University, current officers are encouraging students to vote and become informed about how their student government works.
Voting in the primary elections for next year’s Associated Students of USU Executive Council members will begin Thursday at 8 a.m. and last through Friday at 4 p.m. Students can vote online at www.usu.edu/asusu/elections.html using the QUAD system.
The general role of the council is to support students in making the most of their university experiences, ASUSU President Ben Riley said.
“The role of the ASUSU Executive Council is to enhance the quality of life through academics, activities, student concerns, public relations, service, athletics, clubs, organizations and cultural events, along with direct college, extension, graduate and legislative student representation,” he said.
Specifically, the council is a legislative body meant to represent the voice of students in making university policy and working out issues like tuition and fees, campus facilities and academic concerns, among others.
By its constitution, the council is made up of the president, 11 vice presidents and eight senators, one representing each college. Vice presidents oversee specific areas of student life, including academics, athletics and Arts and Lectures.
Each member of the council also sits on a committee that looks at preliminary legislation before it goes to the body as a whole. For example, the Student Activities Board is a committee chaired by the Activities vice president.
In addition to ASUSU committees, members serve on several school-wide committees and councils along with faculty, staff and administrators.
Tiffany Evans, an ASUSU adviser, said, “It is imperative that all of the students get out and vote. Having the student body actively involved is what gives the legislative power to the council.”
The representatives students vote on will sit on more than 90 committees and councils, weighing in on decisions that will effect the entire student body, Evans said.
ASUSU Student Advocate Bradley Bishop agreed that voting is important if students want their voices heard.
“Some students are under the misconception that their vote does not count or that their voices are not heard,” he said. “In order for students to be heard and understood, they need to voice their concerns and desires for making the campus and campus life an enjoyable experience.”
Evans said many students think their votes don’t matter.
“The more the university grows, the more students need to stay involved and have their concerns heard,” she said.
Evans said voting also has important implications for life after education.
“Although most of the students at USU may not have had the chance to vote in the past state and federal elections, although we could do a re-count, voting for their student council is a good way to practice their civic responsibilities,” she said.