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Volume CXXXIII, Number 3 |
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Uncomfortably numb
Last March, an energized, passionate student body debated whether Bowdoin Student Government should officially recognize a petition opposing the imminent war with Iraq. The normally placid Lancaster Lounge overflowed with students on both sides of the issue, and regardless of one's position, all agreed that the surge in student involvement was a very positive development.
Six months later, no traces of that energy and passion are to be found.
The issue of the war in Iraq has been replaced by, well, nothing. This
week's BSG elections mark the return of an all-too-familiar absence of
debate on Bowdoin's campus.
Take the upperclass elections, for example. Some attributed low turnout
to the lack of competitive races this year. This is a superficial explanation
for an underlying problem that has been present at Bowdoin for years.
Students simply do not choose to involve themselves with BSG on a regular
basis, nor do the BSG officers choose to engage students at a level consistent
with their campaign rhetoric.
It's not that there aren't issues. Look at recent policy changes at the College: Class caps, plus and minus grading, smoking.… These issues generated minimal interest, despite their wide-ranging effects on the student body.
The lack of debate cannot be blamed solely on BSG, but student representatives need to work harder to bring relevant campus issues to the fore and get students consistently and comprehensively involved in the election process.
Though we acknowledge that every issue does not necessarily warrant extensive
discussion, we look forward to the days when Lancaster overflows once
again.
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