ASR member posting a bulletin
As the student body of Roosevelt continues to push for better representation and more action in our student government, questions have arisen regarding how to address and best accommodate student needs.
One circulating idea from a handful of teachers and students, some even in ASR, is to split the Associated Students of Roosevelt (ASR) leadership into two parts that would serve separate functions. One class would focus on spearheading student efforts for social change and justice in the Roosevelt community, while the other would be event-centered, focusing on activities like boosters and school spirit.
This proposed split didn’t come out of nowhere, though. After incidents of hate speech last year over social media, ASR’s Instagram page became more visibly social justice-focused, with more posts focused on raising awareness and celebrating historic movements and people.
This is not only happening on social media though, as this past year in-person has been filled with more ASR efforts to influence and support change against an unacceptable culture present at Roosevelt. More specifically, a culture of quiet and usually hidden intolerance of difference.
A great example of this would be the past Black History Month, with ASR working on the social aspect of celebration with decorations and announcements. For the social justice and community change oriented elements of the month though, the Black Student Union club took up the initiative, organizing a daily student panel during the week of Black Lives Matter to share experiences and perspectives with the student body.
As students continue to consider a split ASR, it’s important to take a look at the benefits before being critical. A divided ASR would not only provide two separate platforms, but also allow members to devote more attention to their respective focus. Gone would be the days of trying to plan events while trying to garner support to important community issues, essentially allowing both jobs to be done to the best of their abilities.
Further, each ASR faction would likely be made up of individuals passionate about the focus of their class, leaving no space for lackluster members.
At the same time, unpredicted issues may arise. From the funding of two classes in lieu of one, to student interest or passion regarding one class over the other, or the division of existing members. There are also possible speed bumps with class division that may prove unexpected.
Though the idea may sound appealing, we don’t yet know what going through with the change would require.. So it remains necessary to look into alternate solutions for the same issue posed by Roosevelt’s current culture.
For example, perhaps clubs and student groups such as BSU and F-Word can be provided with the platform and influence needed to address some of Roosevelt’s more important issues. This may require ASR to step out of the limelight at times, or perhaps work in tandem with a club, but nonetheless, a club would be provided with the support and space needed to accomplish their goal.
To summarize, though potentially difficult to see through, this proposed split might prove to be a great answer to the puzzling question of how to divy up our student government’s focus equally. Until then the best route may be for the school to provide better opportunities for different groups to express themselves and see their goals through.
