Earlier this month, the Penn student body elected a new slate of its highest leadership: the president and vice president of the Undergraduate Assembly. Voter participation was less than satisfactory with only 1,524 ballots cast out of a pool of over 7,000 eligible voters. Even worse, this appalling turnout actually marks an increase in student engagement from years prior.
Unsurprisingly, the debate series for UA president and vice president was only attended by about a dozen students (most of whom were candidates themselves), and the event only mustered up a meager 26 viewers on livestream. It’s not outlandish to say that neglect for student government runs deep. In fact, I’d wager a bet that the vast majority of Penn students can’t even name Penn Student Government's six branches. As a member of the Nominations & Elections Committee, I had hope for our election season. But, the sad fact is that our student government doesn’t play a significant role on our campus.
Unless a club promises a six-figure post-graduation opportunity, it won’t attract attention from many students at Penn. At the same time, the public service inclination of the ‘Civic Ivy’ is dwindling. It is increasingly difficult to motivate our student body beyond potential for lucrative careers.
Compare that to a school like the University of Florida where the student government’s fully-fledged political parties descend onto campus during campaign season. Their campus is even methodically divided into electoral districts that work together to slate their representatives. Their annual budget soars above $20 million. At UF, they care about their student government.
UF sophomore and student government member Maya Idiculla said that their program “stands as a vital pillar” and that her efforts ultimately leave “an indelible mark on campus life.”
Another UF sophomore and student government member Jordan Hricko added that “over 12,000 votes are cast in student government elections” which culminate when “results are revealed and the whole student union goes wild.”
These examples illustrate the incredible role that student government is able to play on college campuses. Much of this attention is external as well. Recent controversy has necessitated Florida’s state government to make dramatic changes to public education. Governor Ron Desantis plans to gut diversity and inclusion programs and selected a political ally as UF’s president.
Meanwhile, PSG has never been that notable or newsworthy even through Penn’s own turmoil with broader national politics. UF’s student government is a spectacle on their campus. Ours is not. Student governments simulate our real political system. If we don’t place an emphasis on this kind of formative experience, how can we expect our alumni body to engage in matters of civic importance? At Penn, we train students to be just as apathetic to the real world as they are to our school’s community.
This mission of many Penn students to only participate in activities that will explicitly lean them closer to prestigious jobs is entirely counterintuitive. Penn’s broad close-mindedness toward extracurricular involvement is robbing us of opportunity. Our narrow concept of what activities are valuable has led to immeasurable loss for our campus culture and our capacity for professional development. After all, participating in student government builds leadership skills, refines communicative abilities, and builds someone’s capacity to network. These skills are crucial to developing the successful career that most of us are working towards.
This campus would be deeply enriched if we cared more about PSG. They provide us with a number of notable services: funding every student organization, providing underrepresented groups a chance to speak to administration, and planning events for the university.
Our student government culture is not living up to its potential. When we ignore such a crucial actor in our university, the community loses its voice. We should allow PSG to take a more active role by giving our representatives the attention they deserve. It’s up to us to make the most of the Penn experience. Our next step is to make use of our student government.
JACK LAKIS is a College first year studying Political Science from Kennesaw, GA. He is a member of PSG’s Nominations & Elections Committee. His email is jlakis@sas.upenn.edu.
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