By Christijan Draper
christijan@newsroom.byu.edu
Have you had that dream? The one in which you shout and shriek but no one can hear you? Maybe you are in a glass box and no matter how much racket you make, no one gives heed.
Some students at BYU feel their voices can't be heard - or won't be listened to - by administrators. But, John Bennion, BYUSA Student Advisory Council vice president, believes otherwise.
'I feel that a lot of people have passionate feelings about an issue but never get involved,' Bennion said. 'I think students dig their own hole there.'
Bennion said that the current administrators, especially President Merrill J. Bateman, have shown a willingness to listen to students.
'President Bateman has students sit in on every applicable university committee,' Bennion said.
The Student Advisory Council or SAC was established in 1988 to facilitate communication between students and administration.
SAC, which meets throughout fall and winter semesters, consists of 39 students representing each college, academic division and special interest group on campus, Bennion said.
David Lucero, Assistant Director of Student Leadership at BYU, involved with SAC for ten years, said that the purpose of SAC is two-fold.
' gives students an opportunity, a means of getting an educated, well-thought-out voice to administrators.'
It is also, by that voice, a way to make positive changes at BYU, Lucero said.
Clark Pingree, 24, a senior from Salt Lake City, majoring in finance, served as a representative of the Marriott School of Management to SAC last year.
He said SAC is 'the most accessible way that students can voice their needs and wants.'
Some of the council's accomplishments students may not associate with SAC.
Courtesy phones, baby-changing stations in men's restrooms and the policy allowing for shorts on campus all came about largely due to SAC's involvement, Bennion said.
More noticeable SAC projects are the weekly Soapbox outside of the Wilkinson Student Center, town meetings and the voter registration rally, Bennion said.
Tara Holt, 20, a junior from Dubuque, Iowa majoring in animal science, said that during her time on the council last year, she heard 'a lot of mean remarks from students, saying we (SAC) never did anything.'
Pingree said SAC is seen by the administration as an advisory council. Pingree also said that a common frustration among council members was that SAC had no power to initiate and facilitate change.
Though not actually a legislative body, SAC acts somewhat like a congress for BYU students, said Pingree.
'We need students to get involved to be effective,' Pingree said.
Bennion said ideally, students should approach their representatives with an issue or proposal. The representative would work with the students to bring the proposal before SAC. The council would then present the issue to administrators. Administrators would then make a decision better understanding how students feel.
Students can find their representative by contacting their college or the SAC office directly at 378-7181.