Your money, your decision, get out and vote

John Klimut
Editor in chief

You do realize the school wants you to pay more money.

Before you throw down this paper and rush out to protest, let me explain, exactly, what the administrators want you to pay for.

The Morris University Center is 33 years old and it needs work to bring the building up to date. And, while the school is updating the infrastructure of the MUC, the administrators figure this would be the best and cheapest time to renovate and remodel the building.

To accomplish this the school wants you to shell out an extra $45 per semester in student fees. The school has to fund the project through an increase in student fees because, under state law, no tax dollars may be used for the MUC. In other words, the state doesn't pay one cent toward the upkeep of the MUC.

Now, before you stomp around whatever room you may be standing in at the moment, you do have a choice in the matter.

On April 11, 12 and 15 you will be given the chance to voice your opinion through a ballot box. You will also be given the chance to decide who will represent you in the next student government session.

Last year, 15 student government officials were elected on some 650 or so votes. A rather meager turnout for a school that boasts an undergraduate population of roughly 9,000 students.

My only guess as to why the turnout was so pathetic would be that the general population doesn't really know what student government does. Let me give you a quick rundown of what student government is responsible for.

The basic function of student government is the allocation of student fees. The allocations come in two basic flavors: travel requests and program requests. Other money is allocated to recognized student organizations for supplies and whatnot. Oh, and student government is the only body capable of granting a student organization "recognized" status.

In short, student government controls your fee money. For better or worse, the student fees you pay each semester are spent by the very people you choose to elect to student government. And, last year only 650 or so of us decided who would be spending our money.

Make this election different. Get out and make your voice heard by casting a vote. It doesn't really matter what your stance on the proposed renovations is or who you vote for. What matters is that you actually get to a polling booth and cast a vote.