Hey folks, it’s us again.
For the 2,039 of you who voted in this year’s Associated Student Government presidential election, that introduction might mean something. To the rest of you — whose closest interaction with this election cycle may have been a Fizz post or Instagram Reel — then hi, we’re your new ASG co-presidents.
That statement might leave you with a few questions, including but not limited to: “What does that mean?,” “Who are you people?” and “Dear God, can you get your posters off of the Tech water fountain?”
Trust us on this — you aren’t alone.
This past election cycle brought many lessons. First and foremost, was, whether from lack of interest or because of true disaffection with campus leadership, Northwestern students feel alienated from their student government.
These concerns manifested in many ways, from Nicholas Johnson and Nur Yalinbas’ demand for accessibility, feasibility and accountability from campus leadership to Alan Hu and Noah Cohrs’ joke campaign for the co-presidency.
That’s not us being jerks, by the way. The “jokiness” of the campaign made a point about how little students feel like ASG has impacted their lives. Noah wrote an excellent op-ed on this very subject a few weeks ago and we encourage you to read it if you have the time.
True to that point, there’s a good chance you don’t even know what ASG is. Here’s a crash course.
Our big claim to fame is that we distribute about $3.4 million in financial assistance to hundreds of student organizations on campus annually, whether it’s for Dillo Day, theater productions, cultural club catering, competition fees or anything in between.
Our Senate meets weekly to debate and pass student-submitted resolutions demanding change on any topic relevant to student life. Concurrently, the executive staff, including the President’s cabinet, works with faculty, staff and administration to make it happen.
When we put it that way, we think the premise of ASG sounds fairly promising. Nevertheless, throughout the campaign, the most frequent commentary we received was that students felt chronically neglected not just by their student government, but the University as a whole.
Amid all of that — and at the risk of sounding sort of corny — we’d want to ask you to imagine something different.
Perhaps you think that the food in the dining halls could be better. Or you hate paying the $10 fee each time you lose your Wildcard.
Or maybe you think it’s ridiculous that the University charges your student group tens of thousands of dollars for rentals and facilities you need to function as an organization.
It might have been that as a prospective student, you weren’t sure if you could find a roommate that would accept your gender identity. Or maybe when you went to Counselling and Psychological Services for support, you were told you would have to get on a waitlist too many students were already on.
We’re not going to sit here and act like the student government has the power to fix every problem we experience on this campus. We, too, would like to have Sabrina Carpenter headline Dillo Day — or, if John had his way, Yuno Miles. In practice, however, there are substantial barriers to making that happen.
But other problems — the kind we’ve described above — are exactly the sorts of fights the student government is supposed to pick. And, we could win them with the student body behind us.
The thing about ASG that most students don’t realize — and what inspires us — is that you are already a member. The administration has to listen when students speak with one voice. ASG is the place on this campus where that’s possible.
We’ve already asked a lot from you this year, but we want to request one more favor: get involved.
Show up to our events and join a committee once applications launch, even if you don’t have any experience with student government.
Above all, if you have a problem on this campus and you want something done about it, let us know. Even if your opinion is something like, “You guys suck, you don’t do anything and I think John’s hair looks like mac and cheese,” then — first of all, ouch — but we still want to hear it. Whether you voted for us or not, that is our job as your co-presidents.
This year, you have shown us you want more from your student government. Now’s your chance to prove it. Show up with us, and we’ll show up for you.
With love,
Gauri & John
John Sisco is a Medill junior. Gauri Adarsh is a Weinberg junior. They can be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
