The United States is rare among nations. Most scholars recognize our constitution as the oldest continuously operating governing document in the world. We’ve held to its ideals for the more than two hundred years since our founding fathers put pen to paper.
In fact, of the 10 largest economies in the world, the U.S. and Canada maintain the only constitutions that predate the 20th century. For most nations, restructuring and redefining government has been the norm for hundreds of years.
For our student government, the time to review, revise and renew our constitution has been long overdue.
The 15-year-old document has been rarely examined, hastily amended and imprecisely maintained. In short, we’ve been in the midst of a constitutional crisis for years. And we have risen to the challenge of solving it.
Over the past six months, a dedicated group of Student Government Association members has rewritten the book. Willing to carefully and honestly examine our operations, they debated every line of the constitution, finally articulating a system of student self-government that will serve our student body well for decades to come. Last week, the SGA Senate unanimously approved their suggestions, and on Tuesday the student body will decide the fate of a new SGA constitution.
Today, I call you to civic engagement. I ask that all students rally behind this constitution and stand as a united body for the purpose of better government.
This constitution was crafted on the ideals of functionality, transparency, accountability and inclusivity. And those four principles must define a new era of student government.
To me, a stronger student government will be more student-focused. By effecting unified opportunity, this constitution empowers students to participate more fully in their SGA than ever before. It strengthens the separation of powers, allowing more students to make a stronger impact in each branch of government. It strengthens direct democracy, allowing special elections and student petitions for future constitutional change. And it strengthens campus unity by acknowledging the necessary role of specialized campus organizations in the decision-making processes.
This document transforms our SGA, and it is a moment of great significance for this university. When students may participate meaningfully in their government, when future administrations are held to the highest of standards, and when campus may trust an SGA whose governing document demands authenticity, then we will have realized a Student Government Association that will lead individuals to a unified campus. One old adage states, “Men make history, but they can never know the history they are making.”
I disagree. At this crossroads, we can absolutely know the history we are making. Together, we can choose to make richer the experiences of coming generations by giving them a student government driven and guided not only by our strength and resources but also by our highest and most valued ideals.
James Fowler is a senior majoring in business and political science. He serves as SGA President.
