Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
Over the four years I have been at Colorado State University, I have only voted in one Associated Students of CSU election. Given the recent diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that may be removed from the university without any input from students or the organization meant to represent us, I can confidently say that I won’t be voting in this year’s election either.
This isn’t because I’m a graduating senior who won’t be affected by the policies. Instead, I want to help create a future for a CSU community that actually focuses on what students believe is important. If the last few months have proven anything, the representatives we vote for don’t actually have influence, which is why I made the decision to withhold my vote in the ASCSU election.
“But knowing that I voted in the election last year, driven by the belief that voting is important, has sparked the following question: Do voting numbers really matter when it comes to influencing change?”
While there are valid arguments for the importance of voting in elections, my biggest reason for choosing to disregard them is the lack of meaningful action in support of students opposing the policy decisions. ASCSU does help with funding for student organizations and the Cultural Resource Centers, which is important to students, but this isn’t ASCSU’s only role when it comes to student advocacy.
During the ASCSU senate meeting Feb. 19, students arrived in large numbers to voice their concerns about Amy Parsons’ response to the U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter. Students were told by the senate leaders to continue doing what most of the people upset by federal policy changes in the United States are already doing: contacting representatives. This failed to address the concerns of the very people ASCSU is supposed to represent.
So if I am choosing to vote for a student representative, I would ask that they are more knowledgeable on the practices of how to best address concerns about DEI policies at CSU, rather than simply encouraging the status quo, especially when they are supposed to have closer connections to university leaders and those who make these policy decisions on campus.
My decision to vote in the previous ASCSU election may not have been as conscious as the decision I’m choosing to make this year. But knowing that I voted in the election last year, driven by the belief that voting is important, has sparked the following question: Do voting numbers really matter when it comes to influencing change? Reflecting on my vote last year and seeing how this year’s outcome led to the loss of some very important aspects of my experience at CSU, it’s clearer to me that these elections don’t really do much for influencing change and establishing support on campus.
I know and understand a lot of what ASCSU does in terms of budgets because I have been a part of The Collegian editorial staff for two years. So I understand that there may be policies ASCSU must prioritize. But knowing what students want and the connections that need to be made in order to support all students on CSU’s campus is important. And maybe then there would be a motive for me — if I weren’t graduating — to start voting again.
Reach Dominique Lopez at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @caffeinateddee6.
