Editorial: USAC keeps actions in line with student needs

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in
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 Edward Chiao
 Kelly Rayburn

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 Edward Chiao

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The Undergraduate Student Association Council is finally opening
its ears and bringing its actions in line with student wants.
Friday saw two major steps taken to correct problems previously
neglected by the council: a programming referendum and online
special elections.

Even though the referendum was unfairly shelved last month, it
has been reintroduced in the form of a special election to be held
May 29-30. If passed, the referendum will cost students an
additional $8.50 next year and will help Campus Events, Cultural
Affairs, Community Service and Student Welfare Commissions fund
programs. USAC killed the referendum the first time around in a
partisan power squabble, denying students the freedom to decide the
extent and cost of their programming during regular elections.
It’s encouraging that USAC finally swallowed its pride and
made decisions benefitting the student body instead of its
political party.

More monumental than the decision to hold a special election for
the referendum, however, is the medium being discussed for
conducting it: the Internet. USAC has been consistently resistent
to proposals to hold elections online despite the potential to
increase voter turnout and better represent the opinion of the
undergraduate community.

USAC needs to wake up and smell their keyboards — the future of
voting is online. Members of the council have argued that online
elections would keep some students from voting because they
don’t own computers, but they must have forgotten about
Powell library. Increased election accessibility should be
championed as the key to student involvement, not shied away
from.

It’s nice to see USAC finally listening to the will of the
general student body and recognizing that student government should
have less to do with politics and everything to do with
representation. Hopefully this spirit will continue into next
year’s decisions.