Show v THE WHY OF IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT As Explained by the Chairman of the Committee on Student Government Editor of Chronicle Dear Sir Sir Sir-A A recent issue of the Chronicle attacks attacks attacks at at- tacks the proposed amendment for student government government government gov gov- on the ground that it tends to remove the government from the student and is therefore therefore there there- therefore fore not good As the students have nothing to todo todo todo this government at present do with their own charge seems rather startling especially in view intention and it the avowed of the fact that was manifest purpose of the committee to put the government into the hands of the students What the writer evidently means therefore is that the proposed commission is not elected as directly by bythe bythe bythe the students as it might be More specifically he lie objects s to having two out of the five members executive board rather than by bythe bythe bythe elected by the oil on- the grounds that if jf the student body at large elect the board which shall the students are fit to choose the commission they are equally fit t to o elect the commission directly Now the committee commit commit- the fitness moment question tee does not for a of the student body to elect th these se two members if it did it would not propose prop se student stud nt government emphatically deny the desirability desirability but it does most them elected dir directly directly directly-by by the student ity of having body at large And its reasons for denying the desirability are based not on theoretical ideals of of f fan an unrealizable Utopia but on the concrete experience experience experience ex ex- of some half dozen universities throughout through through- out the United States which have tried student government t. t I There are three kinds of student government which have been tried in American universities 1 Complete legislative executive and judicial systems based on the United States government as a model 2 Student government by commission commission commission com com- mission elected by classes 3 Student government government government govern govern- ment by commission the membership of which is appointive In 1868 the University of Illinois established the first kind of student government the complete complete complete com com- system on an elaborate scale The officials officials officials were elected by the student body at large The system worked well for a while But soon the cumbersome machinery became irksome and anda a burden to the students and was discontinued Andrew S. S Draper President of Illinois University University University sity said after this failure Rev 28 Student government is a broken reed If actual it is capricious impulsive and unreliable if not it itis itis itis is a subterfuge and pretense This Thi same form of student government has been tried for on one year in the University Secondary School and its officials already say that the system is too cumbersome cumbersome cumbersome cum cum- to endure In 1883 Amherst College established a student commission of four Seniors three Juniors two Sophomores and one Freshman to control student discipline In this this- case the commission was elected by the classes The success of this system system system tem while not complete was far greater than inthe in inthe inthe the Illinois case R Recently the University of California adopted the third kind of student government Here the students elect a student body president who appoints appoints appoints ap ap- points the entire commission The complete success success suc suc- ce cess s of this system has been testified to by several several several sev sev- eral of our own professors who have visited the institution ution Two facts are ev evident dent from these cases 1 The more simple the system the more successful it has been in actual practice 2 The smaller the representative body hody which elects the commission commission commission com com- mission the more successful has the commission been It would seem then that the best system would be simple appointive if necessary to get gat the most reliable students and would contain representation by classes if at all No Now v the committee was unwilling to go to the extreme of having the president appoint the com com- mission There is too much danger of clique rule Furthermore the object of student government the feeling of direct responsibility for his conduct conduct conduct con con- duct by the student was too far removed So in framing the proposed system the committee had two points to consider The efficiency of the system sy's system tem tern and the nearness of government to the stu stu- dent The The government was brought direct to the student by giving class representation on the commission The efficiency was retained by providing providing providing pro pro- viding for two appointive positions on the com com- mission These two members furthermore are not appointed by the president but by the tho executive executive executive tive board which is itself a thoroughly representative representative representative body These five members are to elect their own own president who is not as the Chronicle says appointed by the executive board That the appointing of two members by the executive board will have a tendency to make the commission more conservative cannot be doubted in view of experience The executive board no noone noone noone with the abilities abilities abilities abil abil- one will deny is better batter acquainted of students than is the student body at large Furthermore these two members not being responsible responsible responsible sible for their positions to any particular faction or clique in the school which might elect them if elected at large would be in a position to L ueless ue ueless e eless less partial and look at things from the standpoint standpoint standpoint stand stand- point of the good goodof of the school as a whole And finally the argument that the government is ia hi 1 this way taken too far away from the students 13 is completely overthrown when we remember that Article 4 Section 2 of the bylaws of of the A. A S. S U. U U. U provides that any act of this commission may be annulled repealed or amended by a majority majority majority ma ma- vote of the active members of the student body These two members then should be appointed appointed appointed ap ap- pointed by the executive board rather than elected elected elected elect elect- ed by the student body at large for exactly the same reason that the Dramatic manager is chosen choson by the Dra Dramatic Club rather than elect elected d by the students at large and for exactly the same reason reason reason rea rea- son that the supreme court and all federal court members are appointed by the executive of the nation rather than elected by the people of the United States No one has been so rash as to howl that if the people are fit to elect a president president president dent they are fit to elect the judicial commission commission commission commis commis- sion of the country and yet that is the exact argument argument argument ar ar- which the Chronicle is making against the proposed amendment It is not because the people are not fit but because experience proves that it is not expedient to have courts so elected We desire a democratic system of student st dent government but in order to have student government government govern govern- ment at all we must temper democracy with provisions provisions provisions pro pro- visions for efficiency The function of the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed commission is legislative and judicial Inasmuch Inasmuch Inasmuch In In- as it is legislative three of the five members members members mem mem- bers are elected by the students through classes Inasmuch as it is judicial two of its number are appointed by the executive department students of the University need and desire student student student stu stu- dent government but it is to be hoped that they will not be led away from a conservative and tried time-tried basis by the vagaries of democratic enthusiasts or an an appeal to popular sentiment regarding their own fitness to rule HUGO B. B ANDERSON |