SGA should give students more opportunities to participate

Brea Jones/ Staff Writer

It has been a hectic and scandalous year for FIU’s Student Government Association as a whole. But aside from all of this one must wonder what exactly does SGA do for the students. After bringing a reflexology path to the BBC in August 2018, there are new food options to both campuses.

According to their website, the main goal of FIU’s SGA is “to serve and empower Florida International University’s student community by identifying, addressing, advocating and communicating students’ needs, concerns and interests.”

With new campus additions, town halls, and special events, it is clear that SGA does try to spark the interest of the students by bringing fun entertainment and trying to hear student concerns.

With all of that, truthfully, I wasn’t so sure it was enough to please the student body. After a long year of complaints and cries from students, it seemed to me as though the efforts of SGA, and other clubs as well, were pointless.

To be fair, some of the students who are doing the complaining are either “negative Nancies” or they aren’t going to some of these events.

But the small population of students who are faithfully attending events and still feel a need for more actual room to talk, and SGA as well as other organizations have an obligation to listen.

Junior Jennifer Smith is a Health Service and Administration major who goes to both campuses and tries to be aware of the things. 

She attends both campuses and tries to keep an open mind about it.

“ I feel as though the reflexology path was a complete waste of money because no one even uses it now,” said Smith.  

“ I think it would be cool for there to be a way for students to actually vote from options on what we would want to be added because the reflexology path probably wouldn’t have won.”

Students who have a desire to see more events and additions brought to FIU have to make it known.

Students have to start voicing their opinions to those who can actually make the necessary changes for improvement.

Along with hosting some of the events put on at FIU, SGA indirectly plays a part in what other clubs and organizations can do as well.  

And in some cases, it is doing more harm than good. Of course, as a PantherNOW writer, my own opinion may be biased.

After a year of having to simplify ideas, not being able to properly host events, not being able to purchase promotion material and consecutive ‘no’s’, I am not the only one fed up. All this stuff may seem unnecessary but it is absolutely necessary.

Not only does it seem as though it may get worse in the near future, our efforts have fallen short and options are low but I think Smith’s original idea might be a solution.

“The voting situation could apply here as well,” said Smith. “It is okay that there are budget cuts but it might come down to unfairness if students were able to vote on how much money goes to what club.”

While I understand all clubs are going through budget cuts, the damage more cuts will do to FIU Student Media has been causing stress to our entire staff as a whole.

Playing off of Smith’s idea of allowing students to vote on which clubs their money goes to would honestly make me feel better about this. Control could be established by having a limit of how much one club can receive.

It is key for a club that is supposed to be the voice of the student body to actually listen when a student says something. But it is also the responsibility of each student to speak out to complement or criticize the works of clubs.

Holding things in and whispering our distaste among ourselves does no good.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

Photo retrieved from FIU Flikr

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