For the last few weeks, we have all been receiving Zip Mail notices from our Associated Student Government about candidate applications. While this is a great opportunity for students who have their eyes on politics or simple resume stuffing, a certain segment of our school population is being ignored: part-time students.

“
For the last few weeks, we have all been receiving Zip Mail notices from our Associated Student Government about candidate applications. While this is a great opportunity for students who have their eyes on politics or simple resume stuffing, a certain segment of our school population is being ignored: part-time students.

Just because a student is part-time does not mean that he or she is any less capable of contributing to the decisions that are made by ASG. In fact, many part-time students are adults and may have maturity and wisdom that could be utilized for the benefit of all students. Other part-timers may have jobs or families that require the extra attention that a full-time status may not afford. If they have the drive to apply and enough time to help out, why not include them in the student government?

Does The University of Akron believe that students with fewer classroom hours are somehow less willing or able to ensure the best for our school? If not, they should prove it by opening applications to all who apply to this demographic. That way, the absolute best candidates from all areas of our school can be selected — not just a certain group, but everyone.

Even our federal government was originally set up so that Congress would not be a full-time job. The Founding Fathers wanted to give incentive to people who truly wanted the best for our country to run, not just those that were looking for a big paycheck and health benefits. Many of those who wrote our Constitution held jobs outside of the government. They came together every few months to make decisions, not every single day. If it was good enough for the founding of our great nation, wouldn’t the same logic apply to UA?

Of course it would. That’s why I believe that applicants of all statuses should be able to apply. I know it would take someone’s precious time away when sorting through the additional applications, but that is a small price to pay for finding the most qualified candidates.  The standards of maintaining a decent GPA, good financial standing and attending meetings should be met. Those make sense. They show a good work ethic inside of the school boundaries.

Not everyone can go to school full-time these days, and every student at UA cares about his or her educational experiences. The ASG does do some great things that we all benefit from. Some students would love to take part in the process and learn more about how our student government works for us. ASG needs to be more inclusive so that hard-working people who may not hold a certain status at our University can still take part in an important group on campus.

“