The AAS Is Changing for the Better — Will Students?

To say that the topic of the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) Senate was contentious among students last semester would be something of an understatement. Between rising discontent among students over budgeting issues, a controversial vice presidential election, and a sensationalized impeachment trial, the rift between Amherst students and their government has significantly widened. As we transition into a new semester, the Editorial Board hopes that this year will serve as a fresh start for a stronger, more trusting relationship between students and the AAS.

In order for this to work, however, both nonAAS students and the AAS have to put effort into mending this stressed relationship. The entire Amherst community, not either party alone, is responsible for the discord.

Student engagement with the AAS beyond seeking funding from the Budgetary Committee (BC) is practically nonexistent. Just look at our voter turnout for elections (maybe a quarter of the student body, on a good year), or the number of people who show up to public comments during meetings (usually zero). There’s a reason why many Senate races are uncontested — most students have little to no interaction with, or interest in, our student government. The impeachment trial was likely the most engaged the student body has been with the AAS in recorded memory.

We complain and complain about how ineffective the AAS is as an institution, but how is the Senate supposed to represent the student body if the student body doesn’t tell them what it wants?

At the same time, the AAS certainly has its own share of the blame for the state of relations between itself and the rest of the student body. Many students feel that the AAS doesn’t have enough transparency or accountability regarding its work. In the past, senators concocted expensive Senate projects, presumably for the good of the Amherst community, yet rarely consulted with students about what these projects were actually trying to accomplish.

The BC, the most community-facing AAS committee, is perhaps the most frequent subject of student ire. Some students object to a perceived lack of clarity and transparency with regard to funding decisions, and disappointment with the ongoing budget crisis.

The missing ingredient for engagement is a collective lack of understanding on students’ part of what the AAS does and what they have power to do. Without feedback, students can't hold the AAS