In the past week, a number of JMU students have donned smart attire and started making proclamations of their greatness around campus. No, this isn’t rush week; it’s something different altogether.
That’s right, the SGA elections have descended upon us yet again. If you choose to vote, you will probably look at the top of the ticket: the SGA president. A prestigious title to be sure, and one that garnered even more attention after “Eickelgate” last fall, but as you vote this week don’t be tempted to focus solely on SGA president.
The SGA president might seem like “the one”: the omnipotent head of student governance and the man or woman who can make a difference in students’ lives. The SGA is certainly a body of great importance to JMU. They allocate funding for campus organizations and the president serves as a figurehead and the voice of the student body.
But there is another elected student official who can lobby, network and get things accomplished outside of the stuffy, parliamentary procedures of the SGA.
The student representative to the Board of Visitors, or SRBOV, is an often overlooked office that almost seems like an afterthought on the ballot. In fact, the acronym is almost longer than the official job description, which essentially is to attend board meetings and report on them.
This lack of laundry-list job requirements leaves room for the SRBOV to move freely, to gather information on both sides of the student/administration divide. This is because as many powers as the SGA president may be granted, there are certain things he or she is restricted from doing. The SGA takes great pains to operate within the policies that govern them, but if our federal government has taught us anything, it’s that with bureaucracy comes restrictions, headaches and gridlock.
Working outside the strictures of the SGA, the SRBOV can more effectively serve the student body. Moreover, the SRBOV works in direct contact with one of the most powerful components of the administration: the Board of Visitors.
To the average student, the Board must seem like a clandestine group of elite power-brokers. The Board consists primarily of 15 highly influential individuals appointed by the governor. The SRBOV is the only elected member and best channel through which the JMU community can speak. While the SGA can pass bills of opinion, the SRBOV can influence the Board members’ opinions.
The SRBOV also serves as a representative of JMU outside Harrisonburg, and past representatives have attended private functions alongside notable figures in higher education, as well as higher education seminars.
When voting, don’t be seduced by the appearance of power. While we need an inspiring and experienced leader in the SGA, we also need an effective representative who works behind the scenes to ensure that all the promises are fulfilled.
Whitten Maher is a sophomore SMAD and political science major.
