The results for the most recent SRC elections were posted earlier this week and, if you were like me, you were probably scanning to see if the candidates you voted for won.
However, if you are like me, you read the whole results page for the election and saw something that was surprising.
According to the election results, out of 2132 students, only 397 students voted in the election making up an abysmal 18.6 % which is disturbing, to say the least.
A student body full of young and energetic people who recently clamoured for a more active democratic citizenry during the federal elections slinked back into the grimy muck of school assignments and essays.
Students chose to ignore an organization that, despite it’s flaws, is more representative of their interests than any MP could ever be.
The SRC called upon the student body to voice their demands and were, for the most part, dismissed or put into the drawer labeled “not important”.
The SRC, and those who lead it, are extremely important to students at UNB Saint John.
They represent you, their fellow students, their friends and peers. They plan events, and represent students at the University Senate and Board of Governors.
The other members of the Senate and the Board generally don’t know what you go through as a student during the school year.
They’re old and crusty, stuck in their books and papers, or running their businesses and government departments. Having a current student at these meetings brings much needed representation and perspective.
This means that SRC members could be the ones who persuade the Senate to overturn a bad grade you have appealed. Likewise, it is the SRC who can argue with and lobby businesses and governments to give benefits to students that need them.
If you did vote, congratulations, you still care about your education and UNB. You are one of the very few concerned students at our university who actually give a damn.
And for everyone else, next time the SRC has an election, just vote dammit; it just might save your GPA.
