WELL, THE people have spoken. When less than half choose to do so, what comes out is more whisper than roar.
It feels a bit redundant to complain about low levels of student activism in the Student Council spring elections now, after the polls have already closed and the results are in. But the low number of voters in these elections point to a larger problem facing our beloved notion of student self-governance.
If we don't take the time to vote and if we don't take the time to be involved, we will not have the privilege of making our own decisions. If we don't take the time to play an active role in our collegiate experience, this experience will be dictated by University administrators who don't know what is best for us.
The University should be commended for one of the highest voter turnouts ever, but less than 50 percent participation is not enough.
Can anyone argue that student self-governance will survive in a disinterested and uninvolved University environment? If you can, I'd love to hear it. It's surprising that self-governance has survived this long when we consider it amazing that only 45 percent of undergraduate students and only 16.5 percent of graduate students choose to vote. If this apathy keeps up, we should kiss an effective Student Council good bye.
We are an apathetic student body. We don't care who is elected to serve our interests against a University administration bent on making decisions with a minimum amount of student input. After all, what do students know about making good and informed decisions for the student body?
We don't care because only 6,522 students out of a total of 18,428 graduate and undergraduate students took the five minutes that were needed to vote this week.
Granted, on top of our rigorous academic demands, we are all very busy people. We're involved in too many extracurricular activities and organizations to count. Most of us do not have the time to go to church or even to stay informed about the hot topics around Grounds. But, the polls were open for 72 hours straight and were accessible from any computer with a modem. Not having time to vote is not an excuse.
Council elections are the opportunity for students to voice our conviction and commitment to govern ourselves. When only 45 percent demonstrate a slight inkling of interest, people notice. We just missed a great opportunity to say something. We passed one Honor referendum and voted down the other three, but only 35.4 percent of the entire University made that decision. It wasn't anywhere close to a majority.
The Honor Committee's constitution requires a favorable vote by 10 percent of the student body to pass any referenda. That's it, 10 percent. Only one out of every ten students is needed to decide the fate of our honor system - that should shock you. It should shock you that a University organization like the Committee feels compelled to have such low standards for a valid election. Ten percent is no where near a majority. It is ridiculous that the University should these low standards so that an organization can have the ability to polish and refine its bylaws.
Last week, in the middle of the elections, students who had not voted were sent an e-mail reminder. Are we to think that the people receiving this reminder who did not vote do not care about the University? No, of course not. But we should realize that, according to the elections results and the number of students enrolled at the University, 11,906 students did not vote because perhaps they were not interested in the elections, didn't know any of the candidates or maybe thought their vote would not matter.
If the presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush has taught us anything, it's that every vote matters. Every vote matters because every election represents the heart and concerns of the voters. When people don't care, it means that the government is doing something wrong. They aren't making controversial decisions or even being incredibly efficient. A dull government doesn't inspire voter participation.
When students don't vote, it's because they don't feel affected by the outcome of the election. With 2,866 more voters than last year, it is obvious that the Honor Committee and the Student Council are not being dull. They have inspired more people to vote. But that inspiration can't stop at 45 percent.
We are adults now, and we don't need to be watched over like little children. Council has the power to change and direct our experience as students. But they can do it only if we give them the power. With the increase in voters in these elections, we have begun to prove that these students speak for us. They are going to do a great job only if we remain involved.
(Luke Ryan's column normally appears Friday in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at lryan@cavalierdaily.com.)
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