Most of the time when I tell somebody I am involved in the United Student Government (USG), they hit me with one of two questions: “What is that?” or “What do you guys even do?” And let me tell you, there is no easy, soundbite-friendly answer. It’s the eternal struggle of every USG member to explain why students should show up to USG and the Student Life Council (SLC) meetings or, at the very least, read the meeting minutes. But honestly? I get it. USG often fails to connect directly to their peers, for one reason or another. 

But there are moments, like right now, when USG emerges in the proverbial “Fordham News Spotlight.” This is a time when, as Fordham students, we owe it to ourselves to tap into what is going on in the USG world. 

Right now, USG is in the spotlight because of proposed changes to our organization’s bylaws. Some of these proposed changes would bar any non-USG member from running for executive president or executive vice president. Some suggest that this change would ensure that the organization’s leadership is “qualified” and “experienced.” I flatly reject that notion, and suggest to those pushing these changes that the only experience that you need to serve your fellow Rams is to be a Ram. If you care about this community, if you listen to your peers, if you have ideas for how to make student life better, then you are more than qualified to run.

In my own election for executive president in April 2024, we saw three presidential candidates with USG experience, but the ticket that actually brought attention to the race was that of Drew McDonald and Sam Daniels. Dressed in Abraham Lincoln garb, McDonald delivered the “Ramsburg Address,” a play on the iconic “Gettysburg Address,” to discuss all that he wanted to do if he was to win the highly contested race. While a few of his ideas were considered “out-of-the-box” or difficult to achieve, McDonald and Daniels were willing to take a stand on many issues that other USG-consumed minds would never have suggested. Their presence in the race forced us all to discuss issues that would not otherwise have been talked about, from supporting faculty unions and disability rights to getting a live ram on campus.

Directly from McDonald and Daniels’ campaign push, my executive vice president Eron Maltzman and I took disability rights to the office of President Tania Tetlow. In my first meeting with President Tetlow after getting elected, I informed her that the space belonging to the Office of Disability Services (ODS) was itself not accessible for many with physical disabilities. Within weeks of that first meeting, we were notified by President Tetlow that ODS was being moved to a physically accessible location on campus. A win that to some might seem small, but for many on our campus, was one that meant a lot, both literally and symbolically.

Had these proposed bylaw changes been in place last year, McDonald and Daniels wouldn’t have even been allowed to run. That’s not just a bad idea — it’s anti-democratic. At best, it’s elitist gatekeeping. At worst, it’s authoritarian nonsense. 

So what can you do? Simple. Show up. Show up for your community. This Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Bepler Commons, USG will meet, and there will be a big, empty seating area waiting just for you. Every USG meeting includes a “public concerns” session — your chance to speak up. If you’re fired up about this, now is the time to act. 

And if you want to go even further, run for something. Not sure about campaigning? Join a committee. USG has 11 committees, from Budget (which allocates $2.9 million to clubs) to Operations (which approves new student organizations). Think you’ve never benefited from USG? Think again. This very newspaper? Funded by the Budget Committee. That club you love? Approved by Operations. Heard of Fordham Flea, Bronx Appreciation Week, the Committee of Sexual Misconduct’s (CSM) Week of Action or the Chomp Truck? Thank USG committees. 

USG isn’t a secret society. It’s your government. And it should stay open to everyone, because the only real qualification for improving Fordham is wanting to improve it in the first place. Let’s keep it that way.

Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, is an international studies and Spanish double major from Hoboken N.J.