As you may have noticed, campus has seemed a little more crowded these past couple weeks. Greene Street has been buzzing with different groups hanging banners or handing out flyers to vote in the upcoming student elections. These members of our USC community have worked hard these past couple weeks to speak about the problems they see on campus and how we, as a community, can make UofSC a better place. The results of the election were decided just a few days ago, with Luke Rankin voted President, Sophie Davish voted Vice President, Davis Latham voted Speaker of the Senate, and Kate Lewis voted Treasurer. These campaigns ran on issues including diversity and inclusion, mental health, and food security, all issues that we as Carolinians face every day. These students are now the representatives for all students at USC and have the power to make the university a better place.
I, and I’m sure many others, get annoyed when I’m handed the same flyer eight different times, but those annoying flyers are an important part of our responsibility as Carolinians to vote for those who will impact our student body. Did you vote in this election? If so, did you read about the candidates and their ideas, or simply vote the person whose name you had seen most on campus? Though student government may seem trivial in relation to local, state, or national elections, our student government provides an important service for the university: it gives students the chance to have their voices heard. As students themselves, officers spend the majority of their time with the student body and are often involved in multiple organizations, including Greek life, University Ambassadors and SGTV just to name a few! The student government helps create many programs including Stigma Free USC to raise awareness for mental health, BeYOUtiful to promote body positivity, and the Week of Service to improve the lives of students on campus. Being part of the student body and being a leader helps create a bridge between decisions for students and the needs of students. It is more effective for a student struggling with a stressful schedule and little money to create better mental health and financial programs for students than a board of deans and professors who have not been in college for many years. So next year, make sure to focus on the people who are running and make connections with them: talk to them whenever you see them around campus, follow them on social media, read through their ideas and decide who you think will help make the university a better place. Or better yet, run for office and, as Gandhi said, “be the change you wish to see in the world”!
You can learn more about student government and our officers at USC by following @UofSCSG or visiting their official website.