In 2012, Student Senator Jason von Kundra wrote an opinion article titled “Well We’re Not Here to Sell Cookies” for Broadside, the predecessor of Fourth Estate as student media, responding to a Broadside staff writer’s earlier article “Is Student Government Just for Fun?” In his response article, he outlined initiatives that our organization had been working on at the time: lobbying to lengthen the timeframe for the add/drop deadline, planning and running an academic advising exposition, and exploring shared governance through the creation of a task force. And, over a decade later, it’s unfortunate that so many still see our organization as “just for fun.” This article will, just as Jason’s did in 2012, respectfully push back on that perspective.
Although not every initiative that members of student government work is successful, that should not be interpreted as a discredit to the value of our organization. Yes, the Shared Governance Task Force was ultimately unsuccessful. Yes, we haven’t hosted an academic advising exposition in a few years. Organizational priorities change over time; whenever a new student body president is elected, the executive branch has a new set of priorities to accomplish in line with the elected president’s platform. And our legislature represents more students every year, necessitating constant re-evaluation of priorities for events and strategic initiatives. But let me make one thing clear: whatever your interests are, you can run for a position in student government and our organization will provide you with the tools and resources to pursue that initiative to its fullest potential.
And sometimes those initiatives take time. Student Government had, for years, been one of the university’s strongest advocates for the establishment of an on-campus voting precinct. This dream was finally realized in 2011 after significant year-after-year lobbying efforts at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. And, speaking of lobbying, in 2013, Student Government planned the first-ever Mason Lobbies, an annual lobby day for George Mason University in the Virginia legislature. According to Broadside, “forty-three current students and 15 alumni, along with a bevy of faculty from offices across campus, showed up to represent the university.” This initiative has continued annually ever since and my team is currently planning for our lobby day in February. This tradition has resulted in Mason’s strategic priorities being advanced in the Virginia legislature, resulting in increased state support and recognition for our university.
The impact of Student Government exists all around this campus, whether or not students realize it. From the voting location at Merten Hall to the recent acquisition of Halal Guys in the Johnson Center and redesign of the Spot, Student Government has been a continual force for positive change. We have also played a leading role in modifications to Mason Core; as the former student representative on the Mason Core Committee, I worked to approve over two dozen courses for general education accreditation alongside new categories, including one that centers educational inquiry into diverse perspectives and inequity. As an organization, we currently have representatives on the Board of Visitors, President’s Student Advisory Group, Provost Search Committee, Student Action Leadership Team, University Naming Committee, Mason Core Committee, Recreation Advisory Board, Title IX Advisory Board, and a plethora of other advisory and policy-making organizations with university leadership. We are in the rooms where decisions happen, representing the best interests of over 40,000 students.
There are certainly merited criticisms of our organization and its work; I’m not writing to brush those aside. However, I feel it necessary and prudent to highlight the work that my organization commits itself to because I am proud of my team and the impact that we have on the Mason community. And, finally, while individual motivations for getting involved in Student Government are invariably unique, we as an organization are not “just for fun.”
Written by Zayd Hamid, Personal Advisor to the Student Body President