Govern Thyself

Dear Dec,

"You say you want a revolution? Well you know we all want to change the world." Well, how do you expect to change anybody's world if you don't know what the hell is going on? Some would argue that good ol' U.Va. is just so good that there's really nothing serious enough to be up in arms about. Sure, there are no draft cards to burn or freedom buses to ride, but there are a multitude of other locally relevant causes to work for (police treatment of minority students, working for the rights of lgbt students, preserving the BBS).

Unfortunately, though, the average U.Va. student has so little knowledge of the complexity of various issues that he or she simply swallows the misinformation that the CD delivers every day and continues on to class. These are probably the same students that believe student self-governance is still as alive and kicking today as Jefferson was when he came up with the idea. But the real truth neither you nor I will find in the CD is that student self-governance ain't as virile as it seems to be. Take for instance last year's referendum in which students were asked to vote on whether the student member of the BOV would be appointed or elected. When less than a quarter of the student body turn out to vote on the referendum, how can anyone reasonably argue that the results of the vote are representative of student opinion? Likewise, how can anyone who did not vote complain if they don't agree with the choice of student BOV member?

If viewed alone, this particular issue is simply one more headline to be considered in passing and then discarded; however, if all of these seemingly insignificant issues are treated like small pieces of the self-governance whole they have much more bearing on us. So much so, in fact, that one begins to question where the student is in student self-governance.

So now you're wondering what this means for you. It means that next Wednesday at 7 p.m. you should get over to Newcomb Hall Ballroom for the first meeting in a series of Town Hall Meetings designed to solicit student feedback. This is your university ... so raise a little hell.

Thank you,

P.