there are lots of kinds of representation, some more democratic than others. the student bog reps certainly aren’t representative in a perfectly democratic sense. once elected, they’re not bound to any student agenda, and there’s obviously a long history of student reps being co-opted by university interests.

but the representation they offer seems better than nothing. they are elected. and each governor has fairly broad license to determine what’s in “the best interests of the university.” and meanwhile they’re not the exclusive rep of students, so it’s not like the university is entirely absolved from consultation if students end up w/ a weak sauce governor.

yes, there’s some tension between being a governor and some kind of rep for students. but it’s not impossible, say, for a student rep to vote against a tuition hike. the students who make a big deal of this “conflict” are usually rationalizing their support for some university priority. the other ppl who tend to make a big deal of this “conflict” are student journos who are writ large cynical about student gov’t.

arguing that there’s no power in the position isn’t a productive way of attracting students who could be forceful advocates on behalf of students. you should use what (little) power you have, even if you simultaneously need to acquire more.

jeff friedrich
former student bog rep