What is the Students’ Association? What purpose does Congress serve? Every year these questions are asked, often resulting in the opinion that Congress is unproductive, which on occasion has been true. However, Congress is doing far better than in past years, although there is still room for improvement.

So far this session Congress has been more active, at least in terms of legislation, than in the past several years. But the question is whether this legislation is serving the needs and desires of students.

One of Congress’ major roles is to serve and represent its constituents to the best of the members’ abilities. However many students don’t even know who their representative is or what Congress can do for them.

By definition SA is an organization that represents and includes every full-time undergraduate student at ACU. Congress represents students by creating resolutions, making changes and talking to the administration on behalf of the student body.

Executive president Maher Saab said this year is different because students have already come forward with ideas and issues for Congress to face. This session’s resolutions include the Bean Sprout soda fountain and charter buses to away football games, and were thought of by students not on Congress. Both of these resolutions were successful in terms of student participation, showing Congress’ potential.

While it is great that several students have made the initiative to go to Congress, it is not enough. Members on Congress need to actively seek out the students they represent and find out what they can do to best represent them.

Congress members need to actively inform their constituents and be available for them because the power of people in mass is virtually limitless. One of the ways Congress is currently working towards this, and should continue well into the future, is a re-design of the SA Web site for easier access and to better inform the student body. The Web site is an easy and effective tool to inform the massive amount of students we have on campus.

Congress as a whole also needs to go after and punish members who do not fulfill their duties and do not represent their constituents to the best of their abilities. This is something that has been very rare in the past but something Saab said this year’s Congress is doing.

This is a double-edged sword because while Congress needs to actively chase their constituents, it is impossible to talk with everyone, so students who have issues they wish to bring forward need to actively pursue them with either their representative or other Congressional members. The members, especially the executive and administrative officers, are available for students in the SA office downstairs in the Bean Sprout every weekday from noon to 5 p.m. Students can also attend SA meetings at 5 p.m. each Wednesday in Room 114 in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building.