The Associated Students of Michigan State University are a mess. An organization that has never had a clean track record with its various initiatives involving the wrong spray paint on sidewalks and six-figure concerts that get delayed indefinitely, they've built up a reputation of hilarious incompetence, and the organization appears to be collapsing from the inside out this semester.
ASMSU managed to alienate its entire contingent of CORES and COPS groups through its handling of a Culturas de las Razas Unidas, or CRU, protest, which took issue after students' comments were censored on Facebook by ASMSU regarding the invitation of presidential candidates to MSU. Some students were upset Republican nominee Donald Trump was invited to campus. Later, former vice president for internal administration Jason Porter resigned, citing differences in views from ASMSU leadership.
What's worse is the total lack of transparency ASMSU President Lorenzo Santavicca has shown during this process. A student government should be open and transparent, especially with inquiries from its school's student newspaper, and not hide behind Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, a law that is frequently used by college administrators to withhold information, regardless if said information actually applies to FERPA.
For reasons above, and to increase transparency in the entire student government, The State News Editorial Board calls for ASMSU to open its presidential elections to the student body.
Currently, the president of ASMSU is elected by the General Assembly, an association of elected delegates from various colleges and class standings. The system leans toward backroom dealing and hidden government, and these are not values MSU or ASMSU should tolerate.
Members of the General Assembly attempted to institute a campus-wide presidential vote in 2014, however, it was voted down after facing extreme opposition from CORES and COPS groups. Then-College of Social Science representative Evan Schrage argued it would get students more engaged with student government, which is something we agree on.
With outrageously bad voter turnout rates, ASMSU needs to do anything it can to improve. Dodging reporters and alienating minority groups on campus is unacceptable. Students should get a bigger say on the person at the head of the $1.6 million ASMSU budget.
The State News Editorial Board is made up of the Editor-in-chief Jake Allen, Managing Editor Cameron Macko, City Editor Josh Bender, Sports Editor Casey Harrison, Features Editor Connor Clark, Copy Chief Casey Holland and Staff Representative Stephen Olschanski.
Diversity representative Alexea Hankin and Campus Editor Rachel Fradette did not sit in on this editorial.
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