ASBL elections for each class’s president and vice president are held every year around this time, and with them arrives a storm of Facebook pages, posters and slogans. Yet each year, the same faces seem to decorate the halls.
Our current ASB Leaders do a fantastic job of planning our fundraisers, dances and other important events, but in terms of representing the entire population, ASB seems to fall a bit short.
In my four years on campus, the same people have occupied our highest positions of leadership, albeit in different combinations, but the fact remains that ASB elections are constantly dominated by a small group of students.
Nearly every election that I’ve participated in has had candidates who run for positions unopposed, and this year is no exception, which also highlights another issue: the general apathy and lack of interest in student government and leadership.
While not every student may be a leader, each student does indeed have opinions and ideas about how and what ASB should be doing. There are always complaints about the way our school is run, and yet, when the time comes for these usually vocal students to step up and voice their concerns and things they envision for their respective classes, the only result is silence and a woefully short list of candidates.
Students are expected to vote for leaders after careful consideration of each platform, but how can they successfully do so when they only have one or two options?
To be eligible to run for office, students need only be of fair academic standing. They don’t need to have a 4.7 GPA or already be the president of three clubs. The requirements are simple and straightforward, meaning that almost any student with a plan can aspire to be ASB president.
ASB is like a microcosm of our nation’s government, and if we want to successfully emulate the democratic process by which we select our leaders, then the student body needs to stop passively accepting the annual rotation of presidents and begin taking an active role in the way TCHS is led.