Election blues

While Weston Henderson lost the ASUWT presidential race, the real losers may be the University of Washington, Tacoma student body. The fact that his opponent, Nick Bubb, won isn't what makes us losers in this election - we couldn't go wrong by electing either of the two. Bubb brings an incredible amount of pragmatism and vision to the table, while Henderson evinces a rare energy for making UWT a more vibrant campus. Both are stand-up students who bleed purple. So, why did we lose? Henderson announced to the Ledger that he will not be continuing his efforts by participating in the ASUWT senate next year. The bureaucracy of UWT has beaten him down. This presents a huge loss to a campus caught in transition year flux -- a campus desperately searching for an identity. After campaigning, Henderson now sees the real reason why student participation is low here, and why it is likely to remain that way. Believe it or not, it has a lot less to do with the regurgitated excuse that UWT is a commuter campus than one might think. One major reason why our campus can seem a bit dull at time is that student leaders face a rat's nest of red tape to get anything accomplished. Accordingly, few students are encouraged to take on leadership positions once they get a whiff of how inhibitive it can be to promote activities here. It is a self-perpetuating cycle of frustration that breeds nothing but apathy. Luckily, some of UWT's current student leadership miraculously finds a way to transcend this cycle. Because of their tireless work, our campus has somewhat of a pulse this quarter. But can you blame Henderson for stepping aside? Here are just a few of UWT's idiosyncrasies he encountered while campaigning: • The need to shell out $40 per hour to have a groundskeeper examine the lawn before signs can be placed in the grass. Apparently, someone needs to check the lawn for sprinkler lines each time a request is made. If we pay our groundskeepers $40 per hour, then color us stupid for pursuing a degree. • Redundant approval of posters. After having the Office of Student Life approve his campaign signs, Henderson had to get the library's permission to post them in their building... all this to have the signs torn down from the library's walls the next day. • Not being able to post his signs where there is the highest visibility. Ever notice how the halls of our academic buildings look as sterile as a morgue sometimes? That's because nothing is allowed to be posted on painted surfaces or glass. Hence the tacky easels in every entranceway. And the list goes on and on. While the Office of Student Life made huge strides in encouraging activities by creating the Student Activities Board this year, much more needs to be done if we expect this place to actually feel like a college. Good luck to ASUWT President Nick Bubb in getting this done. We're here to support you all the way. Look forward to the next issue of the Ledger, where we will detail how UWT policies and procedures affect campus life.