The results are in, and Bernard Little and Kristen Kulbis will lead the Undergraduate Student Government next year.
We are worried that an organization with the power of around 18,000 undergraduate voices, more than $30,000 and thousands of man-hours every year could go to waste.
But maybe they’ll actually do something about the lack of state support for higher education.
We should be hitting the streets over this issue! All USG needs to do is call fellow Ohio student government presidents and organize a day – or week – of protest that will get students in the press across Ohio and around the nation.
The BG News also wants the weekly meetings back on television. For about $600, the student body got a great big room for their USG, a great presentation system and two airings a week of their Monday meetings. What a great deal – too bad USG got rid of it.
They justified scrapping the TV airings this year by saying no one watched, planning to refocus their efforts on a massive PR campaign to bring undergrads in touch with USG.
But it seems their PR campaign fell flat on its face this year, evidenced by an overwhelming number of students polled by The BG News this week who either didn’t know what USG even was, or simply didn’t care enough to vote.
Also, should USG be affiliated with parties or not? Put it in your bylaws!
The most mysterious proposal, the contentious OneCard system, needs to be fully unveiled for students to understand and discuss. Where will the B!G Charge go? Will everything be debit? What if students run out of money?
The B!G Charge was implemented for a reason, and before we get rid of it, we need to be absolutely certain it is in the best interests of the students.
Also, we want to see a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night bus route that will cut down on drunk driving offenses, a domestic partner benefits program for faculty and staff like those at many other state institutions, a bookstore that makes every effort to avoid exploiting foreign workers in sweatshops and more funding for student organizations whose efforts focus on community service that makes a tangible difference in Bowling Green.
Little and Kulbis, The BG News challenges you both to address these challenges. Please don’t take the nearly $12,000 students just gave you in stipends and address only one issue – address them all.
