Nov 12, 2002 
Josh Goldstein: Raising voices in action and unison 

An awkward silence has descended over the university.  
It seems the editorial board of our primary campus
newspaper believes that the Iraq issue should not be
granted the attention of our collective voice. The
Diamondback seems to believe our voice is not worth
hearing, that it is neither necessary nor important that
students take stands together on issues that will have
profound effects on the future of our country, our
families and ourselves.

The Diamondback wrote, "Grad students as a whole have yet
to be affected by President Bush's war, and until a draft
starts, it's unlikely that the conflict will fall within
the [Graduate Student Government's] jurisdiction,"  
("Stick to what you know, GSG," Nov. 6). This statement
is packed with sentiment of the disengaged, disinterested
and disheartened population we may be allowing ourselves
to become. Caring for and deliberating about our future
is not a job that should be left to small groups like the
college Democrats, college Republicans, Peace Forum and
the American Civil Liberties Union organizations.

All students must take responsibility for learning about
the decisions of our country. The GSG and Student
Government Association constitutions are meant in part to
empower these governments, not simply check them. It
doesn't seem as if the GSG has been on any recent
tyrannical purges of power. In fact, the very Diamondback
that asserts the impotence of our governance
organizations now wants to see a sober and important
debate be stifled. We must trust ourselves to practice
prudent, informed judgment and to help create our own
future. If we are students that have "yet to be effected
by President Bush's war," we will never become citizens
of democracy whose presidential decisions express the
will of a people, not a solitary man.

Some may make the comparison of student governments to
local and state governments that do not make statements
related to foreign policy.  However, student governments
are unique because they often have the ability to treat
university issues as both real and important for their
continuances, but also as events that will prepare us for
decision-making after graduation. It is absolutely
crucial that students on all education levels learn the
importance of civic responsibility.  Our cynicism now
will lead to worse forms of disengagement later. Politics
is not passive housekeeping, as The Diamondback asserts,
but the mechanism of our collective voice.

University government and politics Professor Benjamin
Barber wrote recently, "The president is right: We ought
to support vibrant democratic states throughout the
world. But perhaps we ought to start at home." Instead of
demobilizing our voice, we should learn about the
decisions we need to make affecting our future, and help
shape the voice of "us." The GSG is charged with
promoting the welfare of graduate students. Do we really
want to decide that these students' welfare does not
depend on reasoning, responsibility and active
participation?

Of course, it is hard to decide whether this war will be
a blessing or a curse for our country. However, it is
clear that discussion at the university is crucial to our
welfare. Therefore, it is clearly constitutional for our
governance organizations to speak out on issues of
national politics and war. However, it is equally
important that the students that make up our voice are
truly informed on the issues that we are discussing
together. This is why the SGA is planning an upcoming
public forum on the war in Iraq, where students can
discuss some of the questions left unanswered by the
mainstream media and our own government.

Josh Goldstein is a sophomore government and politics
major and the behavioral and social sciences college
legislator for the SGA. He can be reached at
bsosleg2@sga.umd.edu.