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The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

SGA senators lost an opportunity to be true student representatives

After sitting in on the Senate debate on March 16, I was faced with some harsh realities about how some SGA senators view their role on this campus.  I came to SGA to hear the debate on a resolution that would effectively state that the students of Saint Louis University oppose HB 329 HJR 14 SB 3 SJR 2.  This legislation would void any registration forms from student mailboxes, as well as countless Missouri residents that are already marginalized for other reasons.  What this means for SLU students is this: Any person who values their role in local and national government would not be able to vote if they register using their student mailbox numbers.  But regardless on how you may feel about this legislation, this is not what was truly discussed at the SGA meeting I attended.  Instead, the question of SGA’s role in political matters was brought to the floor.  From the viewpoint of some senators, SGA had no role in political matters, and that was that.  The resolution failed in senate that night, but I would like to address the issues that I was not able to voice that night.

One point that was raised is the concern of double representation: Why should SGA represent the student body when they already have representatives in the State Legislature?  The real question is not whether or not this resolution constitutes double-representation, but whether or not their representatives hear these student voters.  By creating a unified stance on this issue on behalf of the student body, we are not casting two votes (double-representation), but rather we are making sure our true representatives know that the students of Saint Louis University care about the politics beyond the university.  A statement on this legislation means that students on this campus care about being politically active, on both sides of the aisle, and believe that the youth vote still carries some weight. SGA was given the opportunity to tell the rest of the state that they are not trapped within the SLU bubble, that they care about ideas and resolutions that affect people beyond themselves. They passed up this opportunity in order to play it safe; SGA hid behind procedure, precedence and regulations in order to shy away from progress, boldness and anything that looks like a stance.  You can count my vote as disappointed.

 

– Lauren Araujo is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.


 

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