What really drives democracy?

Last week MUNSU shocked me again. This time it wasn't over the booking of a past-his-prime rapper, or an egg-on-the face revelation of bar tabs held by executive members. No, this time it was something different. On Friday, March 5 I had the opportunity to sit in on the candidates’ meeting for the upcoming MUNSU elections. What bowled me over was the number of people that filled the room. I'm a fifth-year student, and over my time here I've seen the struggle to get people to run for a MUNSU Board of Directors position.

Year after year we've gone through the paces of the election nomination period, only to end up with a modest number of acclaimed positions and enough vacancies that Mary and Joseph could have booked rooms for all of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. I was taken aback last week to see the sheer number of people that had put forth their names to run for next year's MUNSU board of directors. Take a look at who's running this issue – we barely had enough space to fit them into the paper this week. There's a four-way race for the director of student life position – a seat on the board that was a monopoly for the last three years. There's a two-way and three-way race for two other executive positions. Things are no less competitive at the general board level either. Heck, there are even two students going head to head for the social work representative – a position that's seen no contest for the last six or seven years.
MUNSU went through a period where, for whatever reason, students sat back and just let things be. Apathy spread through our campus quicker than lice in an elementary school. Students were content to sit back, let a handful of poor souls stick their necks out there to run the show, and go to class each day with little more than a faint whisper of disagreement over the operations of MUNSU.

When I got to the MUNSU council chambers last Friday and walked in, I couldn't have been happier. To see so many people running for election, and so many new faces at that, was enough to warm even my black heart.
It's hard to know exactly what's brought out so many candidates this year. There's been a great deal of controversy and tension surrounding MUNSU's operations this year. Disputes and scandals have reared their ugly head more than once over the last two semesters. As in life, it often takes a coup d'etat or something catastrophic to get people really fired up. Too often we're content with sitting back and letting things slide until the shit really flies at the fan. No matter how much pleading, prodding, and campaigning you do, it's hard to overcome apathy and get people involved and committed to something offering few tangible rewards beyond a sense of altruism.

I'm going to give this year's slate of candidates the benefit of the doubt. Let's hope that their motivation to get out there and run in the election came from that innate, altruistic passion to get involved and make a difference. Those are the folks that are needed most on the MUNSU board of directors if we want a representative structure that reaches out to students and provides a sense of reliability and stability to the membership.

When it comes down to it, it's that internal drive that separates the weak from the strong, the passionate from the apathetic. It's those that speak out, that rise to their feet, and who take the risk to rock the boat and balk at the status quo that have the most clout in life. No, we're not all going to be movers and shakers in society when we graduate. Very few of us will rise to the top as the CEOs, public politicians, or outspoken activists that lead society.

But for heaven's sake, don't sit back and give those that do make it to the top an easy ride. Be outspoken in all that you do and challenge the norm. Don't accept things at face value, or grumble about the way things could be but aren't in a dark corner somewhere. Get up and do something about it. Change doesn't come from sitting by the way side and keeping your opinions to yourself. Change starts with the individual that chooses to speak out and do something to make a difference.

Courtney Barbour

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