As I titter towards the end of my tenure, I still believe that this tells most of the story. I became involved in the AAS as a senator because it seemed like it might be an interesting way to spend my time. I found the senate to be an enjoyable and meaningful experience, and I wanted to expand my involvement in it.
I think that the reason that many people dislike the AAS is because they view its members as a self-obsessed group of ineffectual yet ambitious dorks, whose only possible motivation for joining such an organization would be to pump hot air into their already inflated egos. (If I mischaracterized your dislike of the AAS, please feel free to make fun of me on the Daily Jolt forum). When I was approached about writing an article in The Student reflecting on my experiences as AAS president, I thought of it as an opportunity to offer a more honest account of why someone would want to participate in student government, and moreover, actually enjoy doing it.
Until the AAS, my most significant involvement in politics of any sort was deeply personal, as I spent much of my teenage years wrestling laboriously, and ultimately rejecting, my parents' conservative leanings. In high school, I avoided student government because I, rightly I think, dismissed it as irrelevant. Many people here mistakenly feel similarly about the AAS. I believe, however, that to regard student government at Amherst as irrelevant is, simply, to be misinformed.
Whether you like it or not, student representatives at Amherst are intimately involved in molding this institution's social and intellectual life. For example, students on the Committee for Educational Policy vote on which new courses are approved to be taught in the following semester; students on the Committee on Priorities and Resources examine and suggest changes to the college's overall operating budget; students on the Disciplinary Committee decide the punishments that are imposed upon some of their less well-behaved peers. From the first project I ever worked on, which was instituting The New York Times program in Valentine with my good friend Allison Rung '05, I have been astounded at how much satisfaction it is possible to derive from such activities. If nothing else, the AAS has allowed me to experience the sheer thrill of actively participating in the civic formation of the community in which I live.
Student representatives are rightfully scrutinized based on their ability to successfully execute the duties of the position in which they were elected to perform. Like any student activity, however, one's "performance" in the AAS is not always the most appropriate way in which to measure how beneficial it is to the College as a whole. For example, I have friends on sports teams who, whether or not they have had illustrious athletic careers, feel that their athletic experiences have helped shape them into more responsible, disciplined and happy human beings. Similarly, I know many students who feel that their official "performance" (i.e. grades) do not necessarily reflect the full expanse of knowledge they gain from their academic pursuits. I am not attempting to be an apologist for lazy AAS representatives who do not take their responsibilities seriously; I am as frustrated with such individuals as anyone. What I am trying to impart is that, regardless of one's measurable performance, participation in student government can be a positive formative experience in one's personal development.
The concept that a failed effort is not a wasted effort is one with which I have become quite familiar. For example, despite giving what I feel to be my best effort, Amherst College students will never enjoy universal phone service. Although I would be prouder of this exertion if it had been successful, just as I am sure the men's basketball team would be prouder of their season if they had won the NCAA Championship, my lack of success does not diminish what I gained from the experience of trying. Student representatives are, and should be, evaluated based on their ability to effect beneficial change to the institution. There is no argument about that. What must be kept in mind, however, is that, like any other student endeavor, the AAS should also be judged on its ability to effect beneficial change in its members.
I am unequivocally a better, more capable person because of my experiences in the AAS. Although I would like to think that Amherst College is unequivocally better because of my service to the AAS, of course I can never be sure. It is certainly possible that the Honor Code was a bad idea, that student-employees do not need nor want Direct Deposit, that those silly ashtrays/urns outside of buildings are an eyesore, that they'll build a parking lot in the Bird Sanctuary anyway, that the changes I helped suggest about advising and Interterm will be ignored, that The New York Times program is just a big waste of paper, that Scrutiny will never be fully revived ... that any tangible "accomplishments" I feel I have made are actually worthless. Even if this were true, I would not regard my time in the AAS as a waste. Although it is imperative that we demand results from our AAS representatives, it is equally important that we recognize the formative merits of civic engagement in and of itself.
Park can be reached at rypark@amherst.edu