ASCSU’s incompetent leadership is at it again. This most recent failure in a long line of misrepresentation is highlighted in the recently viral video, “CSU Students Destroy Clark Building.” Once again the students of CSU scream for change and their words are echoed with emptiness.

The group that made the video, Rams for Representation, is claiming to be “elevating the student voice on campus” and an “organization of students, for students.” This may sound like a great idea, but the truth is that the organization itself deservingly undermines ASCSU President Daniela Pineda Soraca, all of the processes that the CSU administration has put into place to give students the ability to make change that they want to see on campus and the entire ASCSU organization as a whole.

Remodeling Clark is a noble cause without a doubt, but this group does not have the power or the connections to make this goal a reality. Alternatively, ASCSU is an elected group of officials that exists only to represent the students. ASCSU is in constant communication with Administration and oversees a budget of around $55 million. They have multiple committees and financial boards that are dedicated to working on a variety of campus projects and if there was ever a way to get things done around our school, it should be through them.
Note the use of the word “should”.

Rams For Representation, while harmful and disenfranchising, has shown us something very important about our elected student officials. They are failing us. Why does a group with no financial power or connection with the administration have to exist with the same promise as ASCSU? The answer is a lack of leadership and accountability.

Sitting at the top of Rams for Representation is not just concerned students trying to get involved; they are already executive members of ASCSU and have obviously given up hope. Both the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Controller are parts of the club, as the Organization Manager and the Vice-President respectively.

Maybe part of the reason ASCSU has such trouble getting things done is because poor direction and leadership from the top down has led to executive members having such little faith in the organization they chose to form their own club to tackle an issue well within the student government wheel house.

The executive members that are part of this club have no problem completely insulting the Administration, President Pineda Soraca and the ASCSU Senate, all while they continue to collect paychecks, funded through student fee dollars, by working under an administration they no longer believe in. You, the student, are paying for them to actively and intentionally disregard not only their direct supervisor, President Pineda Soraca, but also their indirect supervisor, you.

As if the blatant disregard for their positions and their constituents was not enough, these executive ASCSU members, by creating this club for “representation,” are completely and utterly disenfranchising a specific group of students on this campus. Through the 2016 diversity bill the SDPS offices fought tooth and nail to have their voice heard in the ASCSU senate. For this club to think they can bypass the whole system and go straight to administration demanding $35 million dollar projects is simply disrespectful to the time and effort these offices put in.

Not only are the current ASCSU controller and Deputy Chief of Staff insulting the students they are being paid to represent, they are insulting their fellow executive members. How can a body of people be successful in their goal to represent when those among them do not believe in their cause or their ability to achieve it?

We give ASCSU a lot of justified grief, but much of the time these students are dedicating their time and energy to something they are passionate about. The Senate, Judicial officers and a majority of the Executive branch are doing their best to be successful, but these two aforementioned positions are undermining the entire operation.

Yes, Clark needs a facelift. Badly. But there are already systems in place that are working on it and will fix it. Rams already have representation on campus and it’s called ASCSU. If you want to make changes and “promote the student voice” then demand that your student representatives actually do what they promised when they were elected. We need to come together as a collective voice to make change and not pull ourselves apart from the inside.