ASOSU Congress: The voice of the Oregon State student
Paul M. Aljets
Issue date: 10/14/09 Section: Forum
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of listening to President Ed Ray answer questions about the current state of the campus during a Faculty Senate meeting. It was a fascinating time to reflect on the student legislature. I was surprised by the level of outspoken approval and disapproval for the plans of the administration.
My thought after the meeting ended was, "Why couldn't ASOSU Congress function with this kind of ferocity?" - a strange comment to surface in my head. Before my tenure began as the first Speaker of the House, I was a two-term ASOSU Senator.
This may sound impressive, yet I would classify myself as what the British call a back-bencher. Rarely did I speak my voice, and I presented even less legislation. Yet this was not an altogether new trend in the legislative branch of the student government.
The legislative branch is populated by caring and fervent individuals who have the desire to work the will of the students. So the question then becomes why, if the will is there, does ASOSU Congress not act like the Faculty Senate? I do know the answer, and it's tied to a long-standing problem which must be faced this year.
The truth of the matter lies in our own self-interest, as it does in the case of our faculty.
The fact that our student representatives have in the past lacked the gumption to soldier on with student initiatives is twofold. First, the knowledge of how to engage the campus and the administration is simply not transferred from student to student.
Even those noble few who decide to represent their neighbors in ASOSU Congress have little idea in the beginning about where to start. Their own selfless act of running for office leaves the door cracked for the selfish question, "Why bother?" I've seen many senators come into the position with a heart for reform and get suffocated under the weight of the learning curve involved in OSU's bureaucracy.
The second problem is one which most of our faculty will never deal with. Our elected officials at ASOSU are students first and civil servants second. I've talked to many professors who tell me that teaching becomes your life.
My thought after the meeting ended was, "Why couldn't ASOSU Congress function with this kind of ferocity?" - a strange comment to surface in my head. Before my tenure began as the first Speaker of the House, I was a two-term ASOSU Senator.
This may sound impressive, yet I would classify myself as what the British call a back-bencher. Rarely did I speak my voice, and I presented even less legislation. Yet this was not an altogether new trend in the legislative branch of the student government.
The legislative branch is populated by caring and fervent individuals who have the desire to work the will of the students. So the question then becomes why, if the will is there, does ASOSU Congress not act like the Faculty Senate? I do know the answer, and it's tied to a long-standing problem which must be faced this year.
The truth of the matter lies in our own self-interest, as it does in the case of our faculty.
The fact that our student representatives have in the past lacked the gumption to soldier on with student initiatives is twofold. First, the knowledge of how to engage the campus and the administration is simply not transferred from student to student.
Even those noble few who decide to represent their neighbors in ASOSU Congress have little idea in the beginning about where to start. Their own selfless act of running for office leaves the door cracked for the selfish question, "Why bother?" I've seen many senators come into the position with a heart for reform and get suffocated under the weight of the learning curve involved in OSU's bureaucracy.
The second problem is one which most of our faculty will never deal with. Our elected officials at ASOSU are students first and civil servants second. I've talked to many professors who tell me that teaching becomes your life.
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