Student representatives not taking full advantage of Legislative Council.

Legislative Council was introduced at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year with the goal of creating a more informed student body. Alongside Club Commission, Legislative Council passes approval and veto lists once a month during tutorial. Dean of Students Mike White describes Legislative Council as a “conduit of information,” allowing for normally uninvolved students to have a greater voice in student government.

In the past, Club Commission has been solely responsible for the acceptance of clubs on campus. A group of just four individuals was responsible for making decisions about the legitimacy of a student organization. These students had to face harsh words when clubs were put on strike, as well as hurt feelings when clubs were not approved.

Legislative council was created with the well-intentioned purpose of democratizing the club approval process, however, representatives are preventing it from working effectively. Students often arrive at meetings uninformed and the procedures established by Leadership are often followed poorly. It appears that few take the time to read the proposals before the meeting, and it is rare to see more than a few people outside of leadership speak.

These students should represent the beliefs of their peers and work to relay information that would improve MVHS. But because so many seem to disregard Legislative Council meetings as a chore, change is hardly possible. Student voices are not being heard.

In any representative government body, it is crucial to have individuals who are capable of representing the individuals who elect them. Representatives of Legislative Council do not take time to familiarize themselves with the procedures or the motions being passed, and as a result unable to effectively assist Club Commission and improve our campus.

While it may seem as though Legislative Council suffers from a lack of interest, there is no reason why it should. White explained that every year, more than 100 students apply to become student commissioners and only a quarter make the cut. Students obviously desire to participate in the choices our school makes, yet when an opportunity presents itself to be involved in student life, very few seem to rise to the challenge.

Legislative Council in its current state fails to bridge the gap between Club Commission and the student body because the “conduit of information” White referred to is broken Representatives need to speak for the students that they are supposed to embody speak for. That means students need to look at Legislative Council not as a chore, but rather a legitimate opportunity to have their voices heard. Our school‘s student government is more open now than ever before, and it is inexcusable that we are not taking advantage of it.