Joshua Watson (Hate it!):
As one of the many members of the media team in the student union to have to sit on the student council to retain my position, the student council is a monthly dread for me. While this having to be a student council is a fair ordeal itself, the meetings have a long list of issues that make them ineffective and useless. The first 15 - 30 minutes are nothing but passing community reviews. Does this need to be done in person? Could we not do this on our own in our own time?
After this pre-show, the main event begins the motions. This is where the great and the good (or at least that how they all think of themselves) submit their motions that are supposed to represent student interest. And do they? Famous incidents like planting a tree that not a single student will notice or attempting to force a building style on future union buildings like we are getting one of them. Overall, the council doesn't represent the wider student body, as if it did it would be much shorter as students have much better things to do with their time!
Muslim Taseer (Rate it):
Student Council gets a lot of flack for being an absolute waste of a Thursday evening, but I don't think we give it the credit due.
In essence, it's a lovely idea. A forum for students to discuss the issues pertinent to them, and to come up with productive solutions. It's a space for anyone at University to voice opinions and concern and to get involved.
It's just a shame that's in no way how it works in practice. Even then, without Student Council, where would certain subsets of our fine student populace go to pretend they're in the Houses of Parliament themselves? Where would looks that would make Armani roll in his grave be modeled, shown off for the baying masses? Really, where else would we be forced to sit through the drone of numerous monotonous bureaucratic obligations and the occasional motion that makes one think, "maybe democracy isn't such a good idea?"
I joke, but Student Council really does have the potential to be a much greater outlet than it is. There are a lot of issues we face as students at University that deserve our attention and consideration. An engaged student populace is an active student populace. So despite the horror stories, come along to Council! Help make it a bit less horrible.
