2014 will be a big year for the University. During the past year, whispers across campus have focused on one message: change. SGA elections in 2014 will measure just how committed the student body is to making it happen.

The University of Alabama is a fine school. Thousands of students from across Alabama, as well as the nation, flock here to invest four years of their lives, and this commitment cannot be taken lightly. Students come here despite distance and rising tuition costs and are willing to take on whatever challenges necessary to remain here. Whether it be the student who works 30+ hours a week to make ends meet, the one willing to travel to a state he or she had never dreamed of moving to,or the student willing to take on thousands of dollars of debt for a University of Alabama education, the cost of studying at the University is paid in more ways than tuition, and students deserve the best the University has to offer. SGA is no exception to this. Those elected to SGA in 2014 must represent the university community – no exceptions – and actively work for them.

To make sure this happens, our voting culture has to change, and it has to change this year. Our university cannot only be known for our academics and athletics; it has to be known for our civic participation. The national spotlight was on us last semester, and while it was uncomfortable, it led to numerous beneficial conversations, and the formation of student groups willing to work towards a more participatory student body. SGA elections are a barometer to see where we stand.

Greek or non-Greek, it doesn’t matter – the only worthy measure of a candidate should be his or her commitment to the concerns of all students. Politics affect real people, and real people can, will and should affect politics. Just because you don’t take interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you. You can make a difference.

We must leave the University with more than a diploma; we must leave this school knowing that we did all we could to make the Capstone a better place than we found it for the students who come after us.

SGA elections — any elections, really — can be seen as abstract, as seasonal and nonsensical, but this could not be farther from the truth, and the University cannot export thousands of students jaded or disillusioned by the political process within a university because it sets a dangerous precedent for elections to come long after we leave University Boulevard. If voting did not matter, it would have never been restricted to a select few throughout history.

Every student has a voice to proactively address the issues affecting him or herself, and it’s heard by voting. If we are unwilling to vote, we are directly ceding our power and acting against our interests. During my short time here at the Capstone, I’ve met students with big dreams for our university and the necessary vision to make it happen. Some of them are within the SGA already, and some of them are not. Students in 2014 should vote for candidates that directly represent their values and directly honor their hard work.

The University grows year by year, and voting turnout should be growing alongside it. A low voter turnout is a disservice to the University, and we cannot afford to let it happen. Five thousand votes cast out of more than 30,000 possible votes is unacceptable. Students deserve an SGA that directly works for them, and 2014 is an election year that will go down in history. Whether it’s for all the right or wrong reasons is still in the air.

Make your voice heard in March. Let’s make a stronger Alabama. We deserve it.

Victor Cuicahua is a freshman majoring in journalism. His column runs biweekly.