Common Sense

Preface

In the face of overwhelming injustice and inequality, one must challenge the system to change it for the greater good of the people. The two months I have experienced have told me enough of the abuse of power within the oligarchy, a political structure that should have never been established within the Ridgefield Science Olympiad team, to spark this challenge.

I have developed this essay as a means to convey my grievances and my identification of the flaws within our political system, an oligarchy founded and perpetuated by those who have lasted longest within the club system regardless of their qualifications and ability to govern. This will slowly devour the Science Olympiad team and leave nothing but nepotism and oppression upon the governed.

I refuse, however, to deconstruct our current system without providing solution to our ailments. Along with addressing current grievances, I will provide solutions that can sustain our Science Olympiad team for years to come. I love science. Science Olympiad has given me an opportunity to further indulge in this love and I hate to see it struggle.

Introduction

To what extent should the authority stress the people through ineffective checks on the development of one’s knowledge? To what extent should the authority gatekeep the right to suffrage in regard to club affairs? The answer is none.

The contents of my essay address a multitude of flaws I find with our current system: the check-in system, governing members’ accountability, the lack of voting rights, and the powers of the roles within our team. Together these issues amount to the deepest of problems the Ridgefield Science Olympiad team faces.

Who’s Logging?

The logging system is designed to promote participation of A-team students for the betterment of test scores. From my perspective, it is incredibly ineffective. It fails to promote participation — if anything, the necessity of submitting logs may undermine the student’s willingness to work. The message of “Study this event you find interesting!” becomes “Submit proof that you are working or risk losing your position.”

Captains are not required to submit logs. Presidents are not required to submit logs. If there is no system designed to encourage participation among the elite, then who checks to see if they are working? No one. The most important factors for any future system are that it serves the best interest of the club population and that it is equal across all levels of power.

The Oligarchy & Lack of Suffrage

The idea of the team being run by an oligarchy directly contrasts with the ideals of the word “team”. If we are all together as a “team”, then we must function together as equals. Yet captains and presidents run the entirety of the team behind closed doors — and the idea of voting for people who reflect our values is completely undermined by the current power’s insistence on selecting successors themselves.

I propose a Constitutional Democracy: a President elected by the people, a Vice President who received the second most votes, a government-elected President for continuity, and Captains determined by test scores and willingness to govern. This ensures compromise, equality, and a voice for every member.

The Powers of Position

The goal for the Presidents should be to manage the funding and logistics of the team — constructing elections, voting systems, and ensuring success in all endeavors. The goal for Captains is to promote participation through regular one-on-one check-ins with students, replacing the logging system with human connection instead of bureaucratic stress.

To promote leaders themselves to work, collaborative meets between Presidents and Captains would ensure that no one escapes accountability — peer feedback replaces top-down policing. Together these roles serve not only to aid the team in competitions, but in balancing school, work, life, and Science Olympiad.

Closing

Currently our system is broken and doesn’t serve the needs of our people, but that can change. Either we keep being ineffective, or we improvise, adapt, and overcome.

Thank you for reading this far. We can do better.