Last week marked the kickoff of the Student Government elections at Iowa State. The campaigns will continue for four weeks and end with the two election days, March 7 and 8. Three teams are running for president and vice president.

During this time of year, students will witness numerous chalkings around campus, and candidates will try to talk to as many students as possible. But once the campaigns end, everyone usually goes their own way.

Students go back to mind their business, leaving the winners of the elections to work alone, or with the “elite” of our community. Unfortunately, some think that casting their vote is all they are supposed to do when it comes to Student Government participation.

This is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges that the Student Government is facing: a lack of involvement. The executive branch and the Senate are trying hard to build bridges between the Student Government and students in order to get them more involved. Because many do not know what the Student Government does and is capable of, the rate of involvement remains low. Even in the election, the turnout is typically less than 30 percent.

The fact is that being involved in, or at least paying a fair amount of attention to the Student Government is important not only during election time but also throughout the entire year. The Student Government serves as a representative for students and as their main channel of communication with the administration.

It also has an annual budget of more than $2 million, distributed to student organizations and other services on campus. This budget is collected from the $36 “Student Activity Fee” that every student on campus pays per semester.

Students can have a say in how the money is used. The Student Government funds dozens of clubs and organizations every year. It also proposes and funds some projects to improve the campus. Students need to be proactive and step forward.

You can suggest ideas, propose projects or share thoughts on how to improve the university in general. Considering the huge budget in the hands of the Student Government, students must pay more attention to the organization and support it by getting involved.

We all can work together to ensure that the money is being used for the good of the student body. We all can work together to use the money to expand and support our organizations and to build an inclusive community.