I want to take this opportunity to commend the students that attended the Associated Students of Oregon State University House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday.

You made a difference last night. Your views on bill JB-07.23 were clear and your presence did not go unnoticed by those tasked with representing your voices on campus.

With a ruling that ultimately seems to be in favor of the general student body, there’s really no denying that your presence at these pivotal legislative moments truly has the power to make a difference in this campus community.

Sometimes I think we get so caught up in placing the blame on ASOSU for not representing the students—for not taking into consideration the student voices—that we forget to get involved and make our voices heard.

Until the student body as a whole takes a vested interest in what is going on on campus and voices their opinions and concerns, decisions will continue to be made without them.

But when we as students rise to an occasion to become a part of something important to us, mountains move.

We saw it last night.

To those that showed up and stood up—I commend you.

To those that didn’t—I encourage you to keep your eyes open and to be active when something important to you makes an appearance. You absolutely can make a difference.

And to all of you who read and were inspired by our news coverage— thank you for reading. Thank you for caring and for sharing our articles and your opinions.

Thank you for using our publication as a platform for sharing important campus issues.

Keep sending us your letters and remember that student voices need to be shared in order to be heard.

The opinions expressed in Suchan’s column do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff.

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