5 things I learned in student politics

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By: Anser Abbas

Start Early

To give some idea of how little time an elected term actually lasts, consider that the total number of SRA meetings this year is 17. That seems like a lot, but over the course of the year there will be weeks where you’re paralyzed by schoolwork. Meetings will be missed. That’s why it’s important to define your goals and get started on them as early as possible. Use SRA training to learn and connect. Especially if you’re around campus in the summer, those four months are golden for MSU work – services, commissioners and the Board of Directors are working away. It takes a while to get your head around the details of MSU governance and the sooner it all makes sense, the more you can get done.

Vision is Important

Here’s the thing: you don’t need a fully formed platform to run for SRA. It’s not reasonable to expect students who may not have had MSU experience before to produce fully researched, tested objectives. What is required, however, is an idea of what it is you stand for and what you want to bring to the assembly, something that often takes the form of the much-derided buzzword. I used to make fun of buzzwords too, until I saw how people took words as vague as “integrity” or “community” to guide and influence their every move, and achieve great things. It’s a simple matter of defining your values, and upholding them as well as you can. That can be all it takes to be a productive, contributing representative.

Don't Burn Your Bridges

You will definitely come across people you don’t see eye to eye with on the SRA. It’s inevitable – this campus is too incredibly diverse not to. Simply refusing to interact with people you disagree with, however, limits opportunities. The most important thing to remember is that we have the students’ best interests at heart, even if we approach it in different ways. You never know, the person you have an argument with in October on one issue may be your supporter on another issue in February. Some of the most productive work I’ve done has been with people I never thought I could get along with (until I did), and so I’ve learnt not to let political views get in the way of forming respectful, positive relationships.

Find Like-Minded People

Just like there will be people who disagree with you, there will also be people who want the same things as you. Find those people. Work with them. When you’re standing up alone on a Sunday night saying how you feel about something, nothing feels as good as seeing a supportive head nod in a corner or a few raised “ditto” cards. Everyone needs affirmation, and everyone needs help.

Don't Be Afraid of Change

Sometimes you go into an SRA meeting with your mind completely made up on something, and then a few hours later you vote completely the other way. That's okay. That's what happens sometimes when you're in a room full of people passionately arguing a whole bunch of different viewpoints. You start to put yourself in other people's shoes and you realize that maybe the opinion you had yesterday has changed. Often I've felt guilty about doing that kind of flip-flopping, but every meeting is a learning experience. Keep an open mind to other people's ideas and allow yourself to learn and change.

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