Perspectives on Politics of Survivors of Student Government Authoritarianism

• In Event: Civic Engagement and Service Learning on College Campuses

Abstract

In 2019, following over three years of activism against alleged malpractice in their student government, undergraduate students at the University of Ottawa (Canada) voted to replace their student government with an entirely new organization, ushering in a revolution in student government terms. Semi-structured interviews with 22 former students who advocated for change and student journalists who reported on what happened reveals the experience impacted how they view politics. Key findings reveal a number of students became jaded and cynical about politics and expressed they would be less likely to participate in politics in the future. Participants stressed the importance of accountability measures, decentralized governance, and limits placed on the power of appointed roles within the student government to prevent their undue influence of the democratic process. Findings suggest that student government can have a substantial impact on an individual’s political education, thus there is a need to ensure student governments are run effectively and exhibit good democratic practices.

Author

• Justin Charles Michael Patrick, University of Toronto