Does student government have a second wind?

Published 9/24/98

Since United Student Government's collapse in 1997, Point Park College students have not had a collective voice in the school.

Vice President of Student Development Charles Quillin and Director of Student Activities Jim Shields made attempts to get the college's students involved in developing a new form of government. Several town meetings were planned, and although most of the meetings were unproductive due to nonattendance, Quillin and Shields decided to place student volunteers, both full- and part-time, on open committee positions. This was done in hopes that interested students would eventually draft a new government.

Despite last year's failures, the college is attempting once again to create a student government. This time the results seem to be a bit more promising.

Quillin hopes students will eventually unite and be able to form a student government. So far, 15 students have responded.

Some suggestions that The Globe has to attract students in order to possibly speed up the process of creating a new government include: 1. Make positions paid. With other distractions like work, extracurricular activities and cable television, perhaps some monetary compensation would be needed. 2. Give college credit to students who participate in student government. 3. Promote point one and two effectively.

It's not only students who need a functioning government. The college is preparing for an accrediting evaluation from the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The CHEMSACS is expecting Point Park to have some semblance of a student government by the turn of the century. A rather important reason for Point Park to have a democratic process up and running. If we don't have one, the school's status is in jeopardy.

A collective student voice can be beneficial to the entire college community. One example of the benefits of student input was on a steering committee over the summer, when, thanks to the advice of students on the committee, the wheels were set in motion to eventually install cable into the dorms.

Although there have been a few glitches in the process, if it wasn't for students giving their opinion on how to make dorm life more acceptable, cable would never have been considered in the first place.

Another need for student government: The allocation of more than $5,000 to student organizations. Before USG's recent collapse, it was responsible for dishing out money to different departments and organizations.

Having Quillin and Shields allocate funds to student organizations can be compared to parents handing out allowances for their bratty children. With a healthly student government, the chore can go back to behind-the-scenes, wheeling and dealing between students.

And that's the way it should be.

Cartoon by Jamie Jones.

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