Recently, ASMSU received serious backlash after many policies it tried to implement went sour. The total cost of $52,800 for 40 bikes and their bike systems outraged students, who believed the bike-share program was too costly for what it aimed to accomplish. Other criticism included that the policies were a “pet project,” and that ASMSU is not in tune with actual student needs.

It’s ironic that students do not believe their own student government is in touch with them. ASMSU considers itself an entity whose goal is to “establish a collective student voice.” However, many students feel less and less connected to the organization. Now funds have been transferred to on-campus accounts and are under MSU’s watchful eye, the group seems more connected to the school instead of students.

These town halls would have given students a direct connection to the people representing them. Students could have voiced their comments and concerns in a public forum to ASMSU representatives before policies were voted on. The student government finally could have had the chance to receive real criticism and make policy changes actually benefiting students.

It also would have held representatives more accountable for their actions. In the past, students voiced criticism through social networking such as Twitter and Facebook. If students had further concerns about the bike share program, the students elected to represent them would have been presented with them face to face. But none of this happened.

The town hall was a failure. It also was the only town hall held by ASMSU representatives. The idea first was proposed after a handful of students spoke out against the bike share program during a general assembly meeting last month. Only one representative felt compelled to host one, despite the fact that so many students expressed outrage when the program first was introduced.

State representatives, such as Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, holds monthly coffee hours to give constituents an opportunity to chat with him in person. Especially since most of us live in the same city and spend each week on the same campus, it’s unfortunate ASMSU representatives don’t have similar outreach opportunities.

To make matters worse, ASMSU has no town halls planned for the rest of the semester. If students feel strongly opposed to the bike share program, or have any feedback about how to make bike sharing a reality on campus, they must either reach out personally to their representative or show up at 7 p.m. for the Dec. 5 meeting at the Student Services Building to talk during the public comment period of the meeting. Representatives already have said they’re interested in placing the bike sharing bill back on the agenda during the December meeting, even without public communication with the student body.

If ASMSU really cared about the interests of its constituents, members wouldn’t put a proposal that has faced serious criticism back on the agenda without first making changes based on student input.

To us, the Wednesday town hall seemed like a half-hearted attempt at seeking student opinion. If the group actually wanted a student voice, they would have put more time and effort into planning this event, not scrambling to push something through in a week. Lack of planning, coupled with past failures, only reinforces the disconnect between students and the representatives who are supposed to speak on their behalf.