GUEST COLUMNIST: Remember the student body

I heard the whack before I felt the smack of the Starburst hitting the back of my neck. As I dashed to my left trying to escape the crossfire, I stumbled across empty beer bottles. Upon hearing a roar of laughter, I turned to see a mass of people huddled over shot glasses. And yesterday I awoke to find this same group, the newly-elected and re-elected Undergraduate Assembly members, quibbling over conspiracy theories involving internal elections. For those who have not been following the events of the past few days, student government at Penn is comprised of six branches: The Class Boards, the Nominations and Elections Committee, the Student Activities Council, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, the Social Planning and Events Committee and the UA. If you went to a Smoker, Skimmer or Manayunk, you experienced the Class Boards. If you participate in a student activity, you are a part of SAC. If you take part in Spring Fling, saw Conan O'Brien, Billy Joel or James Earl Jones or watch movies on the Green, you benefit from SPEC. If you applied for a preceptorial or took your professor to lunch, you reaped the results of SCUE. But did you ever feel any impact from the UA until this past week? I expect any of you who are not seniors to say no. Why? Do you even know its function? The UA homepage (hopelessly out of date) states that it represents student interests to the administration, works to implement programs that will benefit students, joins forces with other branches of student government and other groups to influence University policy and distributes over $800,000 of student activities money. As my memory serves, the only time this year the UA represented an interest of mine was when it resolved to express my anger towards the University plan to corral food carts into designated, albeit remote, areas of campus. But was that really my only interest? Did the UA work with other branches of government to influence university policy? Did the UA implement any programs to benefit students? Actually, the only other thing I can identify as a UA initiative was the distribution of its portion of the general fee. Even then, did they really take my interests into account, or did my interests simply coincide with the UAs? I realize that I am writing as if I am the only student on campus. I am anything but the only student affected by the UA and its activity, or lack thereof. This is where I would like to draw the line between student government and student leaders. True, student leaders use the power of their office responsibly, and they therefore benefit the widest interests of the students they represent. If you would like examples of true student leaders, look back at this year and think about the activities you enjoyed and want to continue. Include every memory from plays and a capella concerts, to No Place Like Penn Weekend, New Student Orientation, football games and hanging out in Chats late at night. I can almost guarantee student leaders have made the preceding possible. Attributes of leaders include a genuine attitude of care for those they represent, high expectations for themselves and those that follow them, the courage to take chances and the responsibility to do what needs to be done before acting on what they want to see done. Leadership cannot be determined by the number of positions someone has held or the titles someone has been given. Most importantly, leaders need to have followers. I encourage the newly-elected and re-elected members of the UA to keep these attributes in mind during deliberations Monday night at the annual UA transition meeting. First and foremost, members should represent the interests of the undergraduate students before representing their own personal alliances and brotherhoods. I implore those members who run for, but do not win, executive positions that leadership is not in the title; it is in the action. Moreover, regardless of who is elected to the executive board of the UA, I encourage all students to have the courage to make themselves represented. Show up to UA meetings, talk to your friends and organize. I am happy to say, that with a little help from my friends, I was able to get 33 percent of the undergraduate student body out to vote for a referendum, which set a campus record. Obviously, we have the ability to make ourselves heard. Regardless, of the NEC decision to invalidate the referendum, a campus-wide dialogue has begun. Please keep talking and acting, even though the election is over.

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