The Undergraduate Assembly is trying to give more students a voice, but most of them aren't talking.
As part of his platform for UA chairman, College senior Jason Karsh promised to implement a 10-minute open forum at every meeting during which any undergraduate could speak about campus issues.
But at the eight open forums this semester, only a handful of students have shown up.
When asked why he would not attend Open Forum, College freshman Jordan Hill said that "there's really nothing that bothers me enough." Other students expressed a similar lack of interest in any particular issue.
Some simply had no idea what Open Forum was, possibly due to a lack of advertising or promotion - UA e-mails to the student body and word of mouth are currently the only forms of publicity for the forums.
As such, the UA will be increasing ways to promote Open Forum, though members have not yet decided on specific ways, said UA treasurer and Engineering senior Sunny Patel.
Still, for UA officials, Open Forum is not about quantity - at least for now.
"Regardless of whether or not hundreds of people flock to it or only one person shows up, Open Forum still gives the opportunity for anyone to come talk about anything they want," Karsh said.
Those students that do attend are milking the open forum for all its worth.
College freshman Alec Webley, who ran for a UA seat and lost, has been to every Open Forum since he lost the election earlier this semester.
"The Open Forum is a recognition of the fact that the UA is there to represent us," he said. "It transforms the UA from a 33-member student-government club to an actual representative body."
And non-UA members are not the only ones that may benefit.
"UA members can bring up topics that they feel the body should discuss and thus make us more aware of what's going on on campus," Patel said.
Although students that do not sit on the UA body are given priority, UA members may speak once the list of non-UA members is exhausted.
Open Forum will continue during every UA meeting this semester and may be made a permanent UA feature if added to its bylaws.
"I really think it's a brilliant idea, but the next challenge is to makes sure it can realize all of its potential," Webley said.
