Guest column by Elizabeth Oppong and Mikie Sakanaka | It's your student government

W hen it comes to student government, Penn does not have a participation problem. Participation with Penn Student Government has undoubtedly improved over the past few years, from higher voter turnout to increased student participation in various appointed committees.

Penn does, however, have an ownership problem. Some of our most pressing issues to this day remain unsolved because we, as a student body, have refused to take ownership of our student government. In many ways, we let our part in student government end once we submit our electronic ballot or attend an info session or two. However, that is not enough: Representation is only the beginning.

In order for Penn to truly change in ways that benefit us all on a personal level, we have to realize that just as much as we are all part of Penn, we are all part of student government as well. The initiatives and ideas that come from this partnership are on us to produce and push for. Perhaps it’s a bit controversial for us to say, but in every way that we might feel that student government has failed us, we have in that sense failed ourselves.

What does ownership look like? It means sitting in on University Council meetings to hear the sort of discourse that is occurring between the administration and students, attending general board meetings and lending your voice to the discussion or even just taking the time to attend events like State of the School where you get a chance to share your thoughts on topics that matter to you the most. It is not enough to just be aware of these things, but also to be actively present and insert your voice.

As Penn Student Government, we have come to realize and value the difference between ownership and participation, and over the years, each branch has worked on ways in which we can encourage more ownership on the behalf of the student body. In the past year, the Nominations and Elections Committee has taken the task of not only appointing more students to University-wide committees but also encouraging each of those appointments within the committees to develop structures in place to make their work more visible to the public.

The Student Activities Council has partially lifted its moratorium in order to once again recognize new student groups, empowering these important Penn communities to get funding that will allow them to carry out initiatives and programming. In addition, the Undergraduate Assembly has lent itself as a resource to help student groups find additional sources of funding through the creation of the Funding Steering Assembly, empowering them beyond the resources within student government alone. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, and as they release their educational policy proposal — known as the White Paper — it is the input from all of the student body that will shape the course of that work. In other words, as much as the White Paper is a work of SCUE, it is a work of us all putting forth what we want the undergraduate educational experience to look like in the future.

These are just a few of the many ways in which you can take ownership of your student government. At the end of the day, we were all elected or appointed to serve you. In the end, the greatest impact will come from not just engagement but also from ownership over the initiatives and ideas set forth by the organization. We encourage each and every undergraduate at Penn to take advantage of the new course that Penn Student Government has decided to take by making a government that is not only for you but by you.

One way students can begin to take ownership is by attending our annual State of the School today, where you will get the opportunity to shape the discussion and scope of the event. No longer will it be a night of the student government telling you what we have done. Rather, it will be a prime opportunity for you to guide where we are to go in the coming months.

Whether you love what we have done over the year or are disillusioned with Penn Student Government as a whole, we encourage you to actively involve yourselves with student government this year. Know that not only is Penn Student Government for you, but it is also something you can be a part of as well. Ta ke ownership of that fact.

Elizabeth Oppong is the vice chair for education of the NEC. She is a College junior studying economics and Chinese. Mikie Sakanaka is the vice chair for publicity of the NEC. She is a College sophomore studying  cognitive science. They can be reached at education@penn-nec.org.

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