The Great Divide: Connecting Student Governments With Student Bodies

The heated political situation started in October when the student newspaper uncovered a Student Senate impeachment motion that had been taken off the docket right before a meeting. The motion outlined allegations against the Vice President of Student Life that included student handbook violations and a failure to perform key duties. After this information was made public, the Senate Judicial Committee decided not to pursue the charges any further, viewing them as a distraction from other work. Because the committee proceeding never took place, the vice president was never proven guilty.

Tension increased when the Senate voted down a motion to use $2,247.04 of their Reserve Fund to pay for eight stainless steel recycling bins. The 16 senators who voted the motion down said that it was Drake administrators' responsibility to provide the bins, citing limited Senate funds. Five senators voted for the motion and three abstained. At the meeting before the vote, 40 environmental advocates spoke passionately in support of the motion. With its failure, anti-Senate signs were plastered all over campus and numerous letters to the editor of the student newspaper were written in protest. The Senate tried to calm students by calling for a town hall meeting to explain the failing vote, but frustration continued to be voiced by students on the editorial page, including accusations of the student body president's words being "deceptive" and "dishonest."

After the recycling bin controversy, the Senate worked to find ways for students to voice their opinions more effectively. In a Nov. 15 article in The Times-Delphic, Drake Senator-at-Large Samantha Haas was quoted saying, "I'm struggling here . . . I do feel like I'm putting forth a lot of effort for Senate. I'm confused about what I personally can do to make myself more available or approachable. We're putting forth a lot of effort to reach out to students and I don't feel like I'm seeing a lot of return on that."

At meetings, senators consistently say that they are the "voice of the student body" and tasks that they perform -- including allocating funding to organizations and voting on resolutions that, they say, send clear messages to university administrators -- are essential to the university. These claims are regularly contested in letters to the editor of the student newspaper. One letter observed that "They are the leaders of our great campus, but, sadly, many of them have lost sight of their responsibilities. I have come to the end of my rope. If Student Senate won't act, we, the unofficial leaders, will take the lead."

The Senate has responded to the protests by holding town hall meetings to explain student fees and key decisions. They have also introduced a program called Bulldog Break, where all senators come together in the student union to talk to students and give out free lemonade and treats. More senators are holding "office hours" in the student union as well, where they hang out near the cafe and are able to have one-on-one time with students.

However, questions remain: How effective is student government at fulfilling their commitments to the student body? Can 25 senators fully represent a campus of 3,500 undergraduate students? Drake Senator-at-Large Brittney Miller said that the problem with student government lies in deficient means for students to voice an opinion at Senate meetings:

"From my experience, I don't think the problem is necessarily a representation issue as much as it is a structural and communication issue," Miller said. "The students need better ways to communicate to their governing body on equal ground. Currently, meetings are set up in a hierarchical way that discourages student input. Complicated speaking rules and speaking orders do not allow for fluid, well-rounded discussion."

With the recent controversy surrounding an attempt by the Senate to decrease the baseline percentage of Student Activities Fees that are allotted for campus media (including newspapers and other publications), issues surrounding the Senate have become increasingly prominent and divisive, drawing large numbers of students and faculty to weekly meetings.

Even though the Senate voted the decreased funding motion down, the forty-plus candidates running for senator positions will face very challenging questions surrounding their views on how to make the Senate more transparent to the student body and a more legitimate presence on campus. In fact, most of those candidates have cited the Senate/student body disconnect during their campaign and have offered ways to improve that dialogue. The election takes place April 5 and 6.

Miller and Haas's concerns will persist on Drake's campus, and at other universities around the country, unless a serious dialogue is opened on how to bridge the divide between the students and those who represent their interests. Radford University, George Mason University and Texas A&M University have experienced similar recent controversies over the disconnect between the student body and student government.

Drake's Dean of Students Sentwali Bakari, who sits on the Student Senate as a representative of the Drake administration, said that he is not convinced there is a disconnect. He said that there is talk of a disconnect every year, but he thinks that senators do a good job representing the student body.

"When there's issues on the table that people care about, you'll hear about a disconnect," he said. "If not, no one talks about it . . . There are 3,500 undergrad students here. The senators talk about how they have 'talked to their constituents.' Senators have a lot of pride in what they do. Have they talked to all students? No, I know they haven't talked to all 3,500. But just because senators don't make themselves visible, it doesn't mean they don't care."