A voice might just be one of the most precious tools a student has.

The ability for one to express their concerns, be it about the state of their education, funding for a club or even the minimum price of local liquor is an extremely valuable endowment — yet too often we don’t realize this until it’s too late.

One such moment of clarity came Sept. 12, with the SA’s last minute protest over the city council’s proposition to raise the minimum liquor prices in DeKalb. After waiting until it was almost too late to even speak up, the SA, or what SA president Adam Novotney referred to as “the voice of the entire student body,” recruited patrons from bars and brought a disrespectful and heated group to a city council meeting. Not only was this move ineffective in prohibiting raised liquor prices, it was embarrasing for NIU to be represented in such a way.

When one takes a closer look at the current SA administration’s records, they can find it littered with controversial decisions. According to an Oct. 31 article in the Northern Star, the administration chose to grant $12,000 to a hockey club even though SA bylaws forbid such clubs from receiving funds. Also conspicuous is the group’s consistent lack of attendance at weekly meetings, reported in a Feb. 13 article in the Star.

Students should realize how much their voice truly does matter because they have now seen what happens when it has been neglected.

Fortunately, this time it’s not too late. You have the voice of a vote, and in today’s and tomorrow’s SA elections, we hope you to use it.