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Recently, the Student Union has not met its own self-imposed expectations.

A student club sports proposal, written over the entirety of last year, has been yet to be considered by the administration. Fall elections were marred by a chronically flawed electronic voting system. Modfest, once the hallmark of Union programming, has been put on indefinite moratorium.
These three issues are all of high importance to the student body, and yet the Union has not been able to work with the administration to deliver what students want.

Certainly the Union is trying to address these concerns. Last semester, the Union presented a lengthy, detailed proposal to Senior VP of Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy. The Union has made several calls to LTS to fix the UNET elections system, and is trying to negotiate a modified Modfest. However, up to now, these efforts have been in vain. The Union is working feverishly on these fronts, but with few palpable results.

If these failures cant be attributed to a lack of action on the part of our Union, perhaps the Union has charged itself with unrealistic goals. For example, can the Union really save Modfest? How can a hedonistic party attended by half the university be school sponsored?

The student body has high expectations for its government, and the Union tries to accommodate. However, the Union has found success fulfilling more modest – yet equally valid – requests, such as the reinstating of daily newspapers and the modification of meal plans. Requests such as these, that affect the daily life of many students, should be the priority of the Student Union.

If the Union focused on fewer, more attainable goals, its constituents would be better served.