A watchdog of Guilford’s student government would have slow work. Nancy Klosteridis, president of Guilford’s Community Senate, is not plotting a dictatorial campus takeover. Treasurer Jordan Auleb is unlikely to embezzle the money meant for French Club. Without the rumblings of a coup d’état or a sex scandal, a watchdog would fall asleep before sniffing out any corruption in the Guilford Senate. Because of Senate’s inability to abuse their power, most Guilford students choose a nap over attending senate’s Wednesday-night meetings. At a school whose community prides itself on activism and a concern for social justice, Senate is still more likely to hear the sounds of crickets than the voices of the students who they represent.
Students consistently fail to accept the campus-wide invitation to Senate’s weekly discussions, leaving senator seats open or unchallenged at election time, and skimming over Guilfordian headlines beginning, “Senate decides.” At Guilford, indifference toward senate issues rings much louder than student voices.
If participation in student government is waning (and it is), it is not for a lack of socially minded and politically engaged students. Lord knows that Guilford students are eager to picket and parade. But, their preferred action is more likely to take the form of the aforementioned watchdog than in discussions of policy and process.
“Students get involved when a problem arises that affects them or their life directly,” said Klosteridis. “We do have trouble finding senators and engaging students, but government is not everyone’s cup of tea.”
So why invest in a club that doesn’t seem to have direct relevance to your life? Because Senate invests in you.
The lack of participation in student government is not a product of ill will or disregard. Students forget about Senate because they don’t understand it. And, like you, I was once sadly uninformed on why Senate matters.
My experience of Senate was also limited to skimming Guilfordian articles, until I was sent to a meeting to take photographs. At the meeting, I overheard accessible conversation by concerned and informed senators. It all became clear: Senate is important because it has the power to empower you.
“Senate is responsible for allocating and spending your money and is a tool to change the things you see wrong with our school,” said Klosteridis.
The organization is not only set up to hear the student voice, but to provide the student with the means to turn conversation into action. Senate funds the very projects that make Guilford an active campus. But it needs student voices in order to fulfill its commitment to meaningful productivity.
While it is the student’s job to take full advantage of this organization, Senate takes responsibility for its visibility. Guilford students remain ignorant of Senate processes when posters are limited to cluttered bulletin boards, Buzz activity is inadequate, and their section of the Guilford Web page remains outdated. Last year, a television was installed in Founders to broadcast Senate activity, but it has yet to be turned on for this purpose.
So while patrolling student government might not be the most fulfilling work, remember that Senate wants to help fund your future political watchdog organization.