STAFF ED: ASUN participation can only benefit students

Association of Students of the University of Nebraska election season is upon us once again. Once again, parties will announce their platforms and try to get students to back them. And once again, few students will bother to participate or vote, despite the option of voting online.

Wouldn't it be nice if things could be a little different this year?

Students — things will never change unless you start caring and start participating. Go to an event or send an e-mail to the candidates to tell them what issues they should tackle if they win. Let them know what's important to you and your friends. Even if it just means reading over the Facebook pages of the candidates to make an informed vote, it's better than nothing.

For those of you who are cynical about ASUN, it's even more important to participate. You may think ASUN doesn't get much done, that they don't have much power. This is untrue. Everyone is affected by ASUN — they control student fees and run programs for students such as 475-RIDE — so everyone has a vested interest in who runs the organization.

Plus, how do you expect things to change if you don't participate? How do you expect ASUN to know what is important for students if students never tell them? ASUN can only do so much by itself. Yet in the past 10 years, voter turnout has seldom been higher than 15 percent.

Admittedly, some past apathy can be attributed to a lack of viable parties. In fact, in 2007 the RUN Party ran unopposed, leading to a record low 3.9 percent turnout. Thankfully, this year's campaign looks more competitive. Two parties have announced their candidacy with a third announcing later this week. It's our hope that greater competition will mean a greater voter turnout as well.

This election season, let's make a change. Let's ensure that this election brings out the real issues that you all care about. Let's ensure that whoever wins the election knows what to prioritize. And let's hold them to those priorities throughout the year. Then even if there are legitimate complaints about ASUN's decisions, you will have the right to complain and the power to make a change.