Thursday, March 4, 2010

#17 BYU/SA

Actually, BYU students hate BYUSA. Especially right now—election time. The time when a few overly-social/overly-confident Juniors try their hand in the “political” arena.

If you haven’t seen the posters, or read the Daily Universe, BYUSA is a faux Student Government. They plan dances, talent shows, and various annoying events in the WILK Terrace. They also love handing out free food and putting up posters that make you feel guilty about staying at anyone’s apartment past midnight.

Every so often the general BYU populace gets upset at the spending and uselessness of the organization and complains through the ever popular DU Reader’s Forum. However, these complaints are rather short lived and the group continues to go on retreats and order Café-Rio on BYU’s dime.

What does all of this mean for you? Just a few things:

• Unless you enjoy being accosted by campaign supporters with flyers, candy, banners, and direct instructions to “GO VOTE,” you must re-map how you get to your classes every day. Avoid, I repeat, AVOID Brigham’s Square at all cost. If your professor gets mad at you for being late, tell him to take it up with BYUSA. They do represent you, after all.

• You can get free hot chocolate or a hot dog about once a week. There is a big long line, the chocolate burns your tongue, and the hot dog buns are stale, but you are in college and you don’t get to be picky. Free is nice.

• You never have to buy another T-shirt. When you came to BYU you may have considered purchasing some flashy BYU apparel from the bookstore. This spending is not necessary. Every BYUSA event is advertised or executed with the use of T-Shirts. I promise you can get five free t-shirts in a year and send one home to your little sister. Sure, it may say Guitars Unplugged on it, but its from BYU, right?

• You have the opportunity to go to all the same dances with all the same people about once a month. All of these people are BYUSA kids, or friends of BYUSA kids that all got into the dance free. You are the only person that paid the $3 for that stamp on your hand. I’d suggest not making that mistake.

• If the piano players in the WILK Terrace weren’t enough to drive you away, the Karaoke will.

So best of luck as BYUSA elections finish up, I hope you survive. As colorful posters come down, campaign promises are forgotten, and you gradually work back to your original path through the square, just remember--you get to do this all again next year.

9 comments:

Jeff Rosenbaugh said...

My favorite BYUSA memories include the election fiascos of 2004 and 2005 with people being disqualified for ridiculous reasons. The one time a BYUSA employee spoke out about how BYUSA needs to relax and not take itself so seriously and then he was fired, sparking the B.Y.U.S.S.R. t-shirts and silent protests throughout Brigham Square...

I volunteered at BYUSA my freshman year and I can attest to it's ridiculousness. Of all the ridiculous people I struggle dealing with at BYU (remember my midwestern boy personality doesn't mesh super well with the "Mormon Corridor"?), the BYUSA crowd is pushing it for top ranking on the list of "How do people like this honestly exist?!"

Yes, I'm a hater... But I'm pretty happy with that decision

Anonymous said...

Stuff BYU people like... hating BYU/SA. While some of this is definitely true, let's not forget that those Daily Universe articles are FULL of crap. And I'm in the office enough to know: We rarely get any real free food (I see these people daily). Just brownies or some vegetables with dip like once a month or whatever. I wish we got free cafe rio. Of course, I don't actually work for BYU/SA, I just take their money...

Anonymous said...

Haha, the Daily Universe article is full of crap? Adam Ruri himself was interviewed in it and he couldn't explain all the Tucanos and Cheesecake Factory and Cafe Rio that was purchased by BYUSA.

Kyle said...

i just got a free pen from byusa, so I think they're pretty awesome (emphasis on the "I"...)

Anonymous said...

5 free t-shirts a year. Exactly the number i have gotten this year.

Jordan said...

Jenny I really like your blog. I also stumbled upon this recently: "Cynics do not contribute. Skeptics do not create. Doubters do not achieve" (Bryant S. Hinckley to his son Gordon). I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that. Bwa ha ha! :) But, uh, I am definitely a cynic.

Kyle said...

This is the BEST BLOG EVER! It is my favorite, most def. I love it. Can't WAIT for the next post.
#18 Sweet Bros

Jeremy said...

"Daily Universe letters to the editor" definitely deserve their own post on here someday, Jenny. Good stuff you have here!

Anonymous said...

There is a lot of truth in this... I wouldn't take it as a critic, but rather feedback from a student populous. BYU/SA is widely rather strongly disliked, and it would be a breath of fresh air to everyone to see it become a useful or productive organization rather than a cheap continuation of the high school social arena of SBO's.