Another ASNMU election has past. The ballots have been cast and decisions were made. Maybe things ran atypically this year with one presidential candidate, but the elections stand.
Members of ASNMU and students alike need to take advantage of a reformatted student government.

For the past two or three years, NMU students have had to endure multiple shifts in their student-body government’s leadership, with presidential scandals and a shorthanded government. There are many open positions for next year’s general assembly, making greater participation necessary.

Students also see, hear and feel the effects of scandal and the closed doors that follow it. ASNMU now must be pressured by students to fight for their constituents.
Now is the time for ASNMU to regroup and accomplish goals for the students they represent. It is also a great time for students across campus to step forward and work with their updated government.

Initiatives like the NMU Bike Share, the Campus Career Closet, Late Night and the Wildcat Shuttle are good concrete mixers to start laying out a road to bigger and better things.

Those projects, along with others started by the ASNMU assembly must be continued with the new government.

Similar to last year, projects and actions to carry them out are being discussed, but election details, inter-office problems and assembly frustration distract from productivity.
The new ASNMU must pick up the positive initiatives (like the Bike Share) that previous administrations worked for, while getting creative to think of new ones with their available resources.

Doing this will require going straight to students and students going straight to ASNMU. Despite current controversies in ASNMU, this past government encouraged more participation than the previous. The new government should take that torch and work to ensure the vitality one of our most important organizations.