Don't get me wrong. It's not SGA's fault. Its hands are tied by the system.
But I won't get into government restructuring or anything like that. Let's just talk basic political science.
SGA is charged with being the voice of the students. But there is no means by which to hold it accountable.
Watch this.
Representative democracy works because of an idea called significant negative sanctions. American voters possess these sanctions. They can vote lawmakers and executives out of a job.
Say 90 percent of the population wants to ban reality TV and the Atkins diet (clearly, this is just my wishful thinking). If the president mandates that everyone tune in to "Survivor All-Stars" while eating burgers wrapped in lettuce, that 90 percent can show up at the polls and give him the boot.
Parties also hold significant negative sanctions. If a lawmaker consistently crosses the party line, leadership can send that lawmaker to bad committees, stall his bills or give him a parking spot far away from the building.
Ball State students and other members of SGA don't possess these kinds of sanctions.
Yes, Jayson Manship was voted out of office in February, but SGA presidents running for second terms are rare. Thus, almost every student body president is a lame duck (lame Cardinal?), who can choose to ignore the student voice while laughing his or her way to the Bursar's Office.
By the way, I'm not claiming that the Tietz Slate or the Manship Slate ever did this.
Of course, SGA is not solely comprised of the Executive Board. There is also a Student Senate, which students are supposed to elect.
These members are virtually free from all Election Day pressure. There are always empty seats in the Senate. Essentially, all students have to do is complete some paperwork, and they are in. No negative sanctions there.
Other members of SGA don't possess significant negative sanctions either. Being demoted to a different committee is no big deal. And leadership positions such as committee chairman are elected by the committee, not appointed by the leadership.
Good story, Jay. Why did you choose to tell it?
Well, a lot of students out there are accusing the Tietz Slate and SGA as a whole of not listening to the student voice.
Whether that accusation is true is up for debate. I personally believe the silent majority (those who drink responsibly or don't drink at all) are OK with Ball State's reaction to student deaths. But I won't get into that here.
If you believe SGA isn't listening the student voice, that's because it doesn't have to.
Tietz, who graduates next year, probably won't run again. Vice President Olofunmbi Elemo might have already lied her way out of a presidential term. A senator might run for president next year, but nobody pays enough attention to know what the SGA senators stand for.
The average student has no power over the group.
Maybe that's a good thing. I wish it weren't.
Write to Jay at jdkenworthy@bsu.edu
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