by Sen. Dan Sherman

Let’s take a visit to the land of student apathy. In last week’s Undergraduate Student Government elections only about 10 percent of the undergraduate body cast their votes (the highest in four years). Although that was an increase, 10 percent is still a very low turnout considering the responsibility that rests with USG. Students need some type of motivation to start caring about the issues that affect their everyday lives here at SIU.

On April 8, an amendment to the USG constitution was introduced. This amendment requires any person who runs for president or vice president must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75. This figure may not seem too unreasonable, but consider the name of this organization, Undergraduate Student Government. To me it should provide representation from all undergraduate students. We could call it the Elitist Student Government (ESG) or maybe the We Only Respect Students With a High GPA Government (WORSWHAGG), however, it would not be a true representation of the students.

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Next they will be asking for an IQ test, FBI background checks and a psychological evaluation although this would not be a bad idea for some of our current USG representatives. We might as well have Gov. Jim Edgar establish a special selection committee so we can have only the best of the best representing us. A GPA does not determine intelligence or leadership skills, nor should it be a deciding factor in who should be representing the students’ rights. The president of the United States isn’t required to have a 2.75 GPA, so why should we require this in an environment that runs rampant with student apathy? If a student feels motivated enough to take on such a huge responsibility for a position with virtually non-existent benefits, then why should we discourage that person? I really do not want to insult anybody, however, it really is time for this year’s senators to cut their executive branch puppet strings and start considering important issues like this. Passing this amendment will set a standard that will only further distance USG from the people it represents.

This is not an honors society, this is student government and we need to be constantly reminded of this. I encourage the general student body to come to the senate meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday in Student Center Ballroom B. I certainly won’t be checking your GPA at the door.

We are in dangerous times as students and we need to have a unified voice that does not discriminate. The administration doesn’t regard us as adults. It seems like they are pooling money and betting how many times they can shaft the students before Faner gets crumbled to the ground. Student support is essential to combat issues such as Select 2000, the athletic fee increase and the implementation of police dogs in our residence halls. It’s time to Shakedown the administration and make them realize they work for us. This cannot be accomplished when student leadership potential is inhibited by something as mundane as a GPA requirement.