Policy Guide: Critique of Student Government
Alton M. Okinaka, University of Hawaii at Hilo

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Rationale

The political philosophy of the United States of America is based on democratic principles, taking the form of a republic. Ass a participatory form of government, it integrates public opinion and power into elections. These elections assume an informed public that will select candidates based on their performance and character. A common theme in public discourse is the weaknesses of this system and questions about the efficacy of such a system. Does this system in fact empower the masses or simply provide the illusion of power? To what degree are the premises of an informed public true, and is this concern the cause of many of the problems in government? Many people express the opinion that their vote does not really matter, and voter apathy would seem to be a direct reflection of this attitude. Yet, the amount of money spent on campaigns and advertising to shape public opinion would suggest that there is power in the system. For most Americans, politics is something that they rarely get involved in directly. On those occasions when an issue is of concern for them, most Americans do not know how to get involved and make an impact on the decision-making process. Even in our education systems, we teach about American history and the structure of American government and the electoral process, but we rarely cover how people can get involved or influence decision-making. While it seems that most Americans love to talk about (and complain about) American government at all levels (county, state, and federal), we rarely discuss what would characterize a good government or how to affect this result.

The purpose of this assignment is to raise your awareness of the democratic political process and have you reflect on what you would want from your government. While it might be difficult to gain access to resources in order to properly investigate the civil governments at the county, state, or federal level, there is a level of participatory government at most colleges and universities that is, or should be, readily available to all students. This government is the student government at your school. Most colleges and universities have a student government that serves to represent the student body, much in the same way as elected officials at the county, state, and federal levels represent their constituencies. A portion of the student fees that you pay goes to student government as the equivalent of taxes. As the constituency of your elected student government, those who are elected have an obligation to represent you and your interests. Like elections at other levels, participation on college campuses varies greatly, with many student bodies demonstrating high levels of apathy. Many of the characteristics of American politics that are complained about at all levels exist as well on the college campus. This government provides a local resource for students to learn about the process of electoral and representative politics and hopefully to develop some insights into what makes it work and why (and how members of the public can get involved and make a difference).

Consider aspects such as the purpose, procedures, organizational rules, openness to input from their constituency, ability to work with the college administration or other agencies, dissemination of information to their constituency, and their effectiveness. In all of these aspects, consider not only what they do well but also their weaknesses and how things might be improved.

Instructions

1. Form groups of four to six students. By working in groups, you will have more opportunities to collect information and to compare impressions and ideas.

2. Discuss and outline your ideal vision of what your government should be doing and how. This vision will serve as the basis for a critique of the student government in operation by comparing what they are actually accomplishing and how with your expectations. In forming this vision, you should consult sources such as the constitution and by-laws of your student government as a basis of their formal charge and prescribed procedures.

3. Collect information about what the current student government's goals are, how they are conducting business, and what they are achieving. In performing these actions, consider both the process by which they operate and the consequences. Effectiveness and efficiency are often linked but are not always identical. Coordinate your information-gathering efforts with your group mates.

4. Critique and discuss the information gathered. In performing this critique, match up the ideals of the institution in their formal documents, such as the constitution and by-laws, your own vision for how it should operate, and the information that you collected about how the government actually operates. Consider how efficient and effective they are, the appropriateness of their goals and procedures, and the degree of conflict and/or cooperation that takes place. You should consider not only how they deal with issues that you were initially concerned with but also whether they were dealing with issues you had not anticipated. Consider their strengths, weaknesses, and how they could improve.

5. Write a report on your critique. Provide your vision and how it matches with the formal goals and rules of the student government as well as how this then matches their actual operation and your recommendations for improvement.

6. Present a summary of this report in class, and compare your report to reports done by other groups.

7. Each group member should list the names of every member of the group, including themselves, and score each person individually for the quality ad quantity of their contribution to the assignment.

While many sources of information are available, here is a short list of possibilities to help you get started:

• Student government constitution, by-laws, and operating rules
• Minutes of meetings and bills and resolutions
• Interview members of student government
• Interview members of the administration who deal with student government
• Interview students who are represented by the student government
• Articles in papers or news stories about student-government activities
• Information about student governments at other schools for comparison

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