University of Virginia Library

Mannix

Council meetings have you
attended? Real concern over
issues should have caused the
candidate to become involved a
lot sooner than three weeks
before the election.

Student Council does have
an "image" problem. It does
have a communications
problem. But it can be – and
is effective in representing
student opinions regarding
issues of major import. So long
as a large percentage of its
members are unwilling to
work, the truly dedicated
members of Council will
continue to shoulder the entire
burden.

The biggest problem
Council has, though, is the fact
that it has a tremendous
amount of responsibility with
very little power to implement
that responsibility. In essence,
it is a representative lobby for
students. That problem will
remain absent a change in the
structure of the University, but
even lobbies can be effective.

Over the past few years,
Council has had its temporary
ups and downs, but generally it
has grown more representative
rather than less so, and it is
dealing with more substantive
issues than ever before. That is
one good sign.