The American radical Tom Paine once said, “Government even in its best state is but a necessary evil”.
Some students may or may not view the Students Representative Council (SRC) here at UNB Saint John in the same light.
I will not take either side: I will only say it exists, and, like everything that humans make, it can be improved.
There are three main avenues that the SRC can utilize in order to become a more representative body: social media, student media, and one-on-one.
First off, the majority of university students have some form of social media. Most students have Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. These mediums are good means to get information across: Facebook posts about events at such-and-such a time, Tweets about meetings, and Instagram photo’s of posters and the events themselves.
However, these social media sites are also good means to gain information. Let’s excuse Instagram, and focus only on Facebook or Twitter.
There are two Twitter profiles for the SRC of UNB Saint John. Both have followers, and both post important information.
There is only need for one Twitter account, and it should be used as means for more representation. This would save students time trying to figure out who to tweet, and it saves the SRC time from needing to update or check both accounts.
The SRC should use Twitter as a means to communicate their plans for the student body, and to encourage students to post their opinions and feedback regarding these plans.
The SRC also needs to create an open Facebook group wherein leaders of the SRC post ideas or information for all students to access. Students should be able to post their opinions, ideas and events, much like the Residence Council page.
Students should be able to freely voice their concerns about what is happening in their university, and the SRC should listen, report and represent students’ concerns to the university.
In addition to social media, there are events at UNB Saint John where students can meet their professors and engage in one-on-one discussions. Something similar needs to be done by the SRC.
These events or meetings should occur often and should be held outside of the SRC offices so that more students can access them.
Of course the members of the SRC have friends within the student body, yet not everyone is (or wants to be) their friend. By meeting one-on-one with members of the SRC, students can state their concerns directly.
By being able to voice their concerns directly to a single SRC member, shyer or less outspoken students will feel as if they have a direct relationship with the student organization, and be less scared to voice their concerns.
These are just a few suggestions. Maybe they’ll help, maybe they won’t, but as long as a single member of council sees this and considers these possibilities, I’ll be all swell.
