Get on the bus...a democracy
an Andrew Aikenhead joint

If recent letters to the Peak serve as any indication, the upcoming referendum regarding the implementation of the U-Pass system shall be both a heated one, and a narrow one. The letters so far published have been written from extreme standpoints on both sides. Varying between those who see this as a much needed travel expense reduction, to those who feel that "there's no fucking way [they] will subsidise those who take the bus", there are definitely two extremist camps forming on the issue of this little card. What remains to be seen, however, is what the majority of students feel. And I fear that, even after the referendum, we still won't know what the majority of students want.

You see, if history does repeat itself, the famous apathy of students at Simon Fraser will once again be evident, by an extremely low voter turnout in the upcoming SFSS election/referendum. Believe it or not, not everyone up here is a Peak reader. Likewise, I'm willing to bet that not every student knows (or more importantly, cares) about the critical U-Pass decision. Even if U-Pass posters and brochures are scattered around campus, turning the dismal cement-gray walls into World War I-style propaganda outlets, I doubt many will feel that their vote will truly have an effect on the outcome.

I attribute this to two phenomena - The disillusionment many British Columbians have with our current democratic system, as well as the general lack of interest in campus politics. Even though more students' eyebrows rise when they hear about the possibility of next year's beer money going to some commie-bus-pass-thingy, they still aren't motivated enough to go out and vote. Whatever is going to happen, will happen, regardless of their one checkmark on a photocopied piece of scrap paper.

This is a shame, especially if the upcoming vote is a close one. The losers on whichever side loses will ultimately think; "If only more people had gotten their asses in gear and spent the 15 seconds to fill out a form!" I, being pessimistic me, don't honestly think much can be done to change this, no matter how many Peak letters are published, or posters are put up. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.

Don't get me wrong, I hate those "Smack down your vote!" campaigns as much as anyone else... Likewise, when people tell me how much fun and easy it is to get involved in campus politics, I flashback to meaningless high school pep rallies, and getting rock-hard Bazooka Joes hucked at me by the school mascot of a non-existent sports team. As well, if the recent provincial election was any indication, evil isn't hiding in some cave in Afghanistan, rather its just sitting in 95 per cent of the seats in Victoria, getting its rectum cleaned manually by CKNW.

So I'm NOT advocating that you should alter your life of writing mind-numbing essays and getting liquored on weekends to incorporate campus politics. Nor am I saying that your vote will be the one that decides the election. All I am saying is, this is one issue that will directly effect you, and for once you do have a direct say in whether or not it comes into practice. This is truly direct democracy, where your choice is both distinct and relevant. This is one case where it actually would be a shame not to vote.

I'm not going to ramble on about why the U-Pass is a great/terrible idea. Other letters in the Peak have already done that, varying in both their information and intelligence. I wont pretend that I'm non-partisan either, because I need this U-Pass to be passed if I want to have "food" money for next year. But, as usual, I'm subject to the tyranny of the majority. I just hope this tyranny comes from my fellow bus riders, and not lowered 2002 Honda Civic owners who aren't voting for the U-Pass because they need new rims.

So if you're against the U-Pass, that's great. If you're in favor of it, that's even better. Regardless, if you do honestly care about where your 80 bucks goes, you need to actually vote this time. Cynics often say that if "you don't vote, then you can't complain when so-and-so gets elected".

I usually don't agree with that statement, especially in the case of British Columbia politics, where 53% of the vote equals 95% of the seats... abstaining from participating in a political system which you don't see as being just or democratic doesn't mean that you don't care about politics or that you're lazy. It just means what it means - you're so disillusioned with the current system, so what's the use in participating in a facade election when the outcome is inevitable.

But this in not one of those cases. Unless you're against the basic democratic framework as a whole, and think that some great philosopher kings should steer the ship, you really don't have an excuse not to cast a vote for or against the U-Pass.

Finally, the reason I'm so strongly advocating for people to get out there and vote, is that I think this will be our last chance of getting a universal student bus pass. People in favor of the pass have worked their asses off over the past few years to get this project off the ground, and finally its time has come. If it's defeated, that's all folks. Good luck trying to re-establish a campaign which has just been demolished. So if you are wanting, or in my case needing, a cheaper alternative for how to get to school, make sure you mark April 2 to 4 on your calendar (or Palm Pilot, in the cases of those who are against it). Keep in mind that bus prices are going up again very soon, and somehow I have this kwazy feeling that tuition fees might be on the rise as well.. Unless of course Stevenson and Campbell listen to the students voices, which is both probable and likely.

Please, prove me wrong when I say SFU students don't care. Show that you don't care about campus politics, but do care about your 80 bucks.

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