From the President's Desk

It’s easy at Middlebury to take for granted our unlimited meal plan, free gym access and professors with seemingly unlimited office hours. Nonetheless, it’s still clear that this isn’t a perfect place — this becomes clearer with every comment about dishes, laundry machines, need-blind admissions or the workload.

It’s easy to feel a sense of alienation from institutional governance — but there are, in fact, lots of ways to get involved. Students don’t always feel they have a way to communicate suggestions for positive institutional change.

To do our best to close the gap between the SGA and the rest of the student body, the SGA just launched our newest tool for soliciting feedback from the student body. Based on the White House’s popular “We the People” platform, “We the Middkids” (go/wethemiddkids or go/democracy or go/firstamendment or go/petition) gives you the ability to bring any issue to the attention of the student government and the College administration. Hundreds of votes have already been cast, and students are voicing their opinions on issues ranging from providing reusable cups in the dining hall to parking problems on campus. The system is simple: cast up to three votes (out of a total 10 available) for a petition you support, or start your own! If your petition receives 50 votes, we’ll bring it up at the next SGA meeting. If it receives 100 votes, I’ll record a “snappy” video response. You won’t want to miss it! More importantly, we’ll make an attempt to work on each of the issues brought to our attention.

If you’ve used up all your “We the Middkids” votes and you’re still looking to discuss these issues, you can like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter at @Midd_SGA, visit our website (go/sga), stop by my office hours on Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in Crossroads, or come to an open SGA meeting on Sundays at 7 in the Crest Room. Student government exists because it is supposed to serve students — but we understand the perceived limitations to access. We want to serve students, and we’re trying to make it as easy as possible.