Another MUSG general election has come and gone, and Tim Lefeber and Emily Rostkowski are the new MUSG president and vice-president, respectively. I'm sure that's full of all sorts of implications for Marquette, but you'd never know it from the student apathy toward the process.

According to the Tribune's April 6 article "Lefeber ticket wins MUSG spot," by Jackie Palank and Tim Horneman, only about one-fifth of students voted in the general election. The low turnout was all the more embarrassing for MUSG considering voting booths were easily accessible to anyone who wanted to use them. This points to one conclusion: Most students just don't care about MUSG.

Think fast: Can you name any policy position of Lefeber and Rostkowski? Neither can I. In fact, the only thing I know about them is that their campaign color was orange. Good thing, too. Their opponents, Sean McGuire and Tom Hanson, advocated blue. I believe I speak for many when I say I'm glad the Blue Man Group won't have a chance to implement their creepy mime agenda in MUSG.

And from walking around campus, I know that one campaign had the endorsement of a Ninja Turtle. This was clearly crucial to turning out the Ninja Turtle swing vote. However, the Turtle couldn't get me to the general election polls. I was waiting to see who Krang would endorse, as I believe Krang and I would agree on many issues. Alas, the disembodied warlord chose to remain above the political fray.

Cartoonish campaigns aside, Lefeber and Rostkowski have many challenges before them. Part of the problem is MUSG has traditionally had trouble communicating its message. The Tribune does a great job of reporting MUSG events, but it's not the Tribune's job to act as a public relations firm. And sure, a debate between the major candidates was held on MUTV. But going on MUTV to raise awareness is like going to Tiger Woods for lessons on how not to swear while golfing. Woods has more angry expletives per hole than MUTV has viewers in a week.

MUSG also has the problem of an aura of apparent worthlessness. In virtually every conversation I've ever had about MUSG, someone says that MUSG is superfluous. That perception matters. A huge part of any government's legitimacy is that constituents feel they have a stake in it. In a climate of cynicism, MUSG has to prove itself useful to students.

To be sure, MUSG isn't all failures. One example of an MUSG success was the introduction of the "DogEars" online professor evaluation service. That was a big hit with students, and for a moment MUSG seemed worthwhile. Lefeber and Rostkowski need to find ways to extend those moments and make them commonplace. I, for one, wish them luck in their efforts.

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