Letter to the Editor

Coming into the role of Student Senate President is a hard thing to do. In many ways, I wish I knew then what I know now: there is an endless array of challenges the student body faces in letting their voices be effectively heard. It isn’t people that stand in our way, don’t get me wrong. President Torgerson and the entire administration are genuinely concerned with student life at Luther. I have seen it first hand, and their passion for the well-being of students is truly apparent in all that they do. There are, however, a number of indirect factors that put Senate, your sole representative body on campus, from effectively representing you. I may be biased, but I truly believe Senate has done a lot of good work this year. We have accomplished a great deal, and we have represented the students to the best of our ability given certain roadblocks we face. But roadblocks they are, and in order to improve upon any progress we may have made this year, there is a need to solve a number of key issues in Student Senate structure and the way we as an organized body conduct business.

I would like to briefly touch on two:

Funding is an important issue with Student Senate. As Senators, our goal is to represent our given constituencies to the best of our ability. This includes giving money to organizations that represent Luther’s mission statement as a place of growth and learning, and finding ways to make the presence of Luther’s mission statement known on a national and international level. Maybe I am an idealist, but I like to think that Luther’s air of empathetic understanding and personal responsibility is incredibly unique. In order to broaden our name recognition, sharing the unique perspective Luther College has to offer, Senate should be allotted a larger amount of money on a yearly basis. Student organizations will have access to these funds upon proposals that articulate the need for the money and how, if given to them, this monetary donation will further Luther’s mission statement. We currently do this, but our abysmal budget of $2,000 pales in comparison to other major student organizations on campus. This, despite the fact the Student Senate is one of your sole voices for policy change on campus. Not only is there a need for an increased budget, there is a neccessity.

Student participation is, in my estimation, the single most important aspect of Senate. Everyone in Senate has attempted to represent the students to the best of their ability. By-in-large, I believe that this year has been an overwhelming success in terms of productivity, activity, and communication to the student body. There is no doubt room for improvement, however. We are a body of individuals that thrive off of your input. We are a group that seeks to fight for your voice. It is no shock to most administration members that there are concerns amongst the student body. It is also no shock that the President of Student Senate, or a representative in Senate, may, at one time or another, call for a change on Luther’s campus. But that call for change seldom changes anything. It only is a voice. What makes change on Luther’s campus is when we as a student body join together to voice our concerns. When we work as a unit to accomplish goals, discuss issues, and move forward with the best answer, we are doing work that actively improves (both directly and indirectly) our own lives on campus as well as those around us. We need your voice and your passion to stay viable as a chartered representative body. It is the single most important aspect of Senate, and it is also the one that Senate and the student body must collaborate on in the coming years. The administration is full of individuals ready and willing to listen to concerns students might have. Our concerns quickly become theirs when our voices join together to discuss an issue and decide on the best outcome. Here is how you can get involved:

Meetings are held every Tuesday night in Mott in the Union at 6:30 p.m. Come to the meetings, let your voice be heard, and work with senators to solve concerns on campus. There is always an open forum in Senate, and ALL students are welcome.

Write a letter to the editor. Tell us what your concerns are, and at the same time start a conversation by telling the whole student body.

You can email me at longco01@luther.edu, or Senate’s email at senate@luther.edu.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: VOTE for your representatives! Voting takes place during Kool-Aid on reading day (Friday, May 15).

These two issues, once improved upon, will be an enormous step toward making Student Senate the most representative body it is capable of being. Thank you to all the students who have voiced their concerns this year, who have encouraged Senate along the way, holding us accountable to maintain productivity as a body of representatives. I am excited to see the work Senate does in years to come, and I know that with ample funding and the entire student body behind us, students will have their voices fully represented in the decision making processes at Luther.

- Colton Long (‘09)
President of Luther College Student Senate