Student leaders have taken a progressive step forward on tuition advocacy. Sustained engagement on students’ part will determine whether efforts will pay off.
Student Body President Mary Cooper has cut a lot from student government. But a new feature, the student government advocacy team, might just prove its worth.
The plan the committee is spearheading could mitigate two problems student government faces in engaging students on tuition: lack of knowledge and interest, and absence from campus during the summer months. By creating a listserv to inform students several times at “key voting junctures,” the committee is at least putting in place a framework that could maximize student involvement.
There hasn’t been a year in recent memory when student effort was needed more. A proposed 17.4 percent cut to the UNC system’s funding, plus the potential for another tuition supplement (read: hike), could come at a great cost to students, their families and the quality of education at UNC.
But the summer is hardly a time for students to feel engaged. Being away from campus and often working full-time divides attention. Additionally, grants, scholarships and the parents’ purse often removes students from feeling the cost of their education. It’s easy to feel helpless and apathetic.
A listserv can be only as effective as the amount of people who join it. A collective voice can make a difference. Even if it’s an email or phone call to a representative to remind them this is an issue that affects you and your vote, it’s more worthwhile than silence.
And you may have that marginal effect that tips the scale in our favor. It’s all hands on deck this summer. Student government is offering a valuable tool. It’s up to us to use it.
