More active students will fuel Senate

Upset that the dining halls aren’t open late? Wish you could take a course that the university doesn’t offer? Although Student Government has already addressed these two student needs, it continues to be the organization students run to when they want to voice their concerns about on-campus life. But these impactful decisions become less effective and less representative of the student body when nine Senate seats still remain unoccupied.

The Senate is the largest branch of SG, with representatives from every school and college at the university, as well as residential colleges and various student organizations. Senators act as the liaisons between students and the executive board, which consists of the president, vice president and treasurer. But currently, there are only 38 faces on the Senate dais, while there should really be 47.

In reality, these 47 senators unify more than 10,000 student voices. Yet many students take the Senate for granted and complain relentlessly about everything from parking to on-campus dining, rather than taking the initiative to get involved and make their voices heard.

The Senate continues to work hard in order to improve its transparency with students. The implementation of iClickers is a perfect example of this. Using iClickers will give students the ability to see the Senate votes.

From our point of view, such efforts are futile when students are ignorant of SG’s power on campus and what the organization has accomplished in the past. SG has more of an influence on your life as a student than you think.

It’s expected of all citizens to get informed about what’s going on in local, state and national government. Similarly, it’s important to learn about SG leaders and their work. And if you’re especially opinionated about on-campus life, a Senate seat is calling your name. Fill out an application and you could represent the opinions of a community full of students who have needs and demands.

If you want to see change at our university, then make it happen.

Senate is currently taking applications for the nine empty seats. If you’re interested, you could represent the junior class, School of Architecture, School of Communication, Hispanic Students Association, Interfraternity Council, United Black Students or one of three other organizations. To apply for one of these seats, visit the SG office in the University Center, room 214.

Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.