Giving Student Government Back to Students

Peaches?

2006-03-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

So Kasey Phillips and I were moved to government operations to give Whil a more objective impeachment hearing. I think that the student senate was trying it's very best to make sure that this impeachment bill was taken seriously, and that a diverse range of mindsets were represented. There was a range of mindsets, some that wrote the bill, sponsored the bill, didn't know what to make of the bill, and some that didn't even want to consider the bill. As rational students, we'd be able to to make sure that he had a fair trial.
I mean for me, I was one of the senators that wanted to object to even considering the bill; and I thought that the first hearing started out a little tense, but no one was getting at each other's throats.
I didn't think much of it when Whil deferred questions, I figured that he just wanted to be more prepared, I knew that he had sent all the gov ops people an email. I just got on, and I wasn't a sponsor of the bill, so there wasn't much I could tell him, and I understood that.
I think that this impeachment bill coming up at this time in the year, overshadows a lot of over things, and I think it'll bring us, as a student senate, to a convoluted end.

However, last night, I was not thinking about impeachment, I was thinking about us as student government. making us stop having the impeachment trials, with a single memo, ten minutes before the meeting, was a slap in the face for me personally. I feel as though if things were supposed to not even go on, then why bother letting us even play around with putting two extra people on the committee? What if there was something important for me to do in University Affairs? And then, it really made me think, as student government, what is the point if we really and truly are not governing ourselves. Are we under the administration? Yes, because they are administrating the university. However, I think that it is a bit worrysome to me. I think that we, as a student senate need to have a better relationship with the administration, but I think we need to make sure that our voices are being heard. If there is a chance that our voices would be overshadowed if we are in disagreement, then is silence our only option? Are we really just play government? I mean it makes me think- once we start truly evaluating things and taking them seriously, when we make things more than a resume building game, when we start trying to voice student concern, which is our job, and we are being silenced what is the point of even having student government or even being student leaders. Are we just supposed to play inside the boundaries set for us from the start, and never step out them?

I have worked really hard to talk to as many students possible about the impeachment, I saw a lot of the senators on the committee, even ones that were sponsors of the bill, continuously saying that they wanted to be as objective as possible. For me personally, I felt as though even if this bill did make it out of committee, and got onto the senate floor, it would not have ever passed. Not all of us are "stagnant" or not really the interest of students. A lot of us are great student senators, and we would have made the right decision in the end. This wasn't a coup, we were going by our student body constitution. Did we just have rules of impeachment in there just to give the impression that we had that power?

I am sick of arguing, conspiracy theories, glass ceilings, invisible fists, and I think that all of these things are getting in the way of doing the real work. The real work is making sure that we are representing the student body, and magnifying their voices. That is our job to bring that opinion to the table, and to make sure that we are representing student interest.

Like I said, this isn't about impeachment, I really don't think that whether or people want to impeach Whil is the problem. I think my problem is being told not to do something that was outlined to me as something I could do, and so late in the game.

I feel upset, and I feel like at the end of the day someone else is making the decisions, and it really bewilders me and makes me feel like in a small way, all of my efforts have been wasted if someone can just retract that in a second. What is the point of being a student senator, or part of a governing body, if it can't really govern anything? That was one of the biggest things I felt about student senate- I felt like it could make an impact. I felt like it could make a difference, stir the pot, change things. That was why I didn't join student council in high school, because at the end of the day all you decided was the color of the streamers or where prom was. No decisions with substance, you didn't really question anything or change the climate of your school. So we as a student senate, are we just a big group of people that aren't worth more than yelling acclamation and newspaper headlines? Are our decisions without any substance? What is the point of student input if our input is being silenced.

I am very confused, and I really don't know what to think at this point. All I know is that I am upset, and I think that things are so broken, I don't even know what to make of them. Every thing, every thought I have had at this point is jeapordized. But I think that "giving student government back to students" has been something I have been saying a lot this year, and I think that it hasn't made more sense to me at any time other than now.

fight or flight?

Decisions, Decisions

2006-01-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

"Our LORD! Take us not to task if we forget or fall into error."
[2:286- The Holy Qur'an]

I no longer have any intentions to run for student body president.

I want to start off by saying that I am really passionate about my beliefs, and the things I would like to change within student government. I am still committed to serving the student body, and being an advocate for everyone here on campus. I am the same person, and I still have the same passion. I have loved every single minute of me being in student government.

But there's a difference between what you can, love, and want to do vs. the price you have to pay in order to achieve something.

I was, and still am confident in my competency as a candidate and as a possible student body president. This isn't the issue.

There is a reason why the word "student" comes before "government". I'm a student before anything else, and I have come to realize, with the impending amount of stress that is coming with my courses, that tackling elections is not in my best interest at the moment. I am a sophomore, and I am taking courses which are the basics for my major, things that I need to build off of in order to succeed in my major, and ultimately the field that I would like to enter.

There are courses which I am taking, which require a lot of outside work and dedication, which I would not be able to put my heart into, and into an election, and into the things with which I am already involved with.

I do not regret anything, I wanted to run, and I want to eventually run, but it comes down to this, do you choose something that you could do in a year or two, or something that you need to succeed in now? I was not completely aware of how stressful this semester would start to get.

I was very passionate about running, and I was willing to do all that I could, but as it all turns out, a class does not become real when you look at a syllabus, it becomes real once you start doing the work, and testing the waters.

I want to change things for this student body, and for the better, but when I am academically able to do it, not just emotionally or mentally.

I think that it takes a leader to step up to the plate, but it takes a great leader to step back and realize that they should not be doing something because they can not put their heart into it 100%. I am confident that I could have had a very high chance of winning, but the price is too high, because my academics are my top priority as a student.

I was very aware of the emotional and mental consequences of running, and slightly aware of the academic arena, but I had taken all classes that were basically plug and chug- you study and you get a good grade, right? Now I am taking classes that require practical application, I need to sew, I need to learn how to make patterns, and I can't just "get by", I need this stuff for the future, and I know that I need to keep up with the pace of the courses. These are skills that I need.

This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made in my life. As a hard-working person, I am eager to take on the world, and bring as much as I possibly can to the table. Needless to say, this was definitely a decision that was uncharacteristic of me, but I needed to be mature and foresee what was going on around me. It was a well-thought out decision.

I am not shaky, a flip-flopper, or even a coward. I did have jitttery feelings because I knew the negativity that surrounds elections, but this was not going to stop me, because I am not that kind of a person. I was confident in myself and my abilities to be a leader. I've got a good head on my shoulders. I think that sometimes, we need to catch ourselves before we fall prey to our own ambition and dreams.

I want to say that I am thankful for all of the people who were ready to support me and did support me, and wanted to work with me on my campaign. I love every single one of you, and I hope that I can reach out to you if I make the decision again to run. For the people running, I wish you the best luck and if you ever want my input let me know. I hope that you do your best, and next year, whoever wins, I am fully and willing to assist in serving the student body.

I would have fallen in error if I went through with something at this point in time that would hurt me so much academically. Everything happens for a reason, and I know that this is for the best at this point in time.

I give everything I do 100%. If I were to be elected in the future, I would still give it 100%, especially because my passion and efforts would have room to grow.

I believe in myself.

2005-12-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

In my year and a half as an NC State student, there have been two wordsthat I have heard consistently: unity and achieve. In my mind, the onlyway to achieve anything is through a sense of unity. n a body of 30,000 students it almost seems like it is inevitable to lose the voice of thestudents, in a jaded mix of self-interest, apathy, misinformation andmiscommunication.Student government is supposed to be the answer to serving the studentbody and magnifying the ideals and voice of that group. The people thatare involved with student government devote the time that they do becausethey care about their classmates, and they want to serve their interest. Ithink that student leaders and governing bodies all want the same thing,it is just that we seem to have conflict on how to go about certainthings. Our main goal is to make sure that we are serving the students.There is no masked evil, no “enemy”, no dark figures in the shadows, noplans of world domination. The same goes for the administration, faculty,and staff: they are all working in favor of the students, as this greatuniversity would not exist without students. There seems to be a grandiosegame of “pin-the-blame-on-someone-else”. Pointing fingers doesn’t bringsolutions, it just creates more problems, and intensifies it.In the spring of 2005, the student body elected The Pirate Captain a.k.aWhil Piavis as their representative and student body president. There wasa record voter turnout, people who had never voted before were voting forthe first time. The fact that he was able to rile up such a spirit showsthat there is the student body is demonstrating a need for change. Themembers of the student senate were also elected members, sometimes that isoverlooked, these were students who were selected to voice the opinions ofstudents in our great colleges.The fact is we all want to better improve NCSU: so how do we go aboutthat? There is only one way: we need to open up the lines ofcommunication. Everyone here has a responsibility to do their part. Firstthing is, we need to put our stubborn prides aside, our prejudices andbiases need to completely dissolve. We have to be receptive to thefeedback of others. However, feedback must be justified, and offered atthe correct time, and in a respectful manner. We are all human, and eventhe greatest leaders make mistakes.Students must make sure that when they have a concern, that they aremaking sure that it is heard. Members of Student Senate need to make surethat they are taking the step towards hearing student voices, and makingsure that they are representing the interest of their constituents. The culture of what occurs on the senate floor must reflect the concerns andoccurrences in the campus community.As for the legislative and executive branches, they owe it to the studentsto put aside any differences that might exist, and unify to do what theywere created to do: represent student interest. If there are conflictsbetween these branches, it takes away from their effectiveness. These twobranches need to begin communicating and collaborating on serving thestudent body, energy wasted on conflict should be fueled into servingstudent interest.This is your student government, it is our privilege to serve students andhelp improve our campus community. If we can unify in communicating andgiving feedback, we can immensely improve our welfare as students.

Sara YasinStudent Senator for College of Textiles