With the days growing longer and the sun shining brighter, the arrival of spring is accompanied by the upcoming student government elections. But this begs the question: what is new this year? It may be too early to tell, but what is going to change? Much like today’s politics, governments are often all “bark but no bite,” and student government is no exception. Student councils and governments should strive for action to make meaningful change instead of sitting idle throughout the year. However, this ineffective action is not just the fault of the student government, but also due to the lack of freedom granted to it.
“The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies” (Jistor.org) Page 236
To further exemplify this, one must understand why student governments and councils exist to begin with. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, written by Mary Oellerich Miklos and Laszlo D. Miklos, was an academic guide for high school faculty. The following image covers an excerpt from page 236, where it highlights the true purpose of a student body but also questions its viability. To summarize, it explains how a student council is supposed to act as a bridge between students’ needs and the administration, while also promoting leadership and getting students involved in the logistics of a school. On the contrary, this is rarely followed, as there are not many privileges granted to a student body, which constrains it from doing much. These stem from a lack of time, effort, and, most importantly, money, and CDL is no exception.
Schools should entrust their students’ bodies with more responsibility as they were elected by the students themselves. What is the point of having a bridge between the students and admin when the students needs are not being fulfilled. Perhaps these upcoming elections would prove otherwise, so lets see what the candidates have to offer.
Work cited/Bibliography
Miklos, Mary Oellerich, and Laszlo D Miklos. “Student Council: Useful or Useless?” The Clearing House, vol. 45, no. 4, 1970, pp. 236–239. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30185809, https://doi.org/10.2307/30185809.
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