Jerry Seinfeld has an absolutely hilarious commentary on the experience of being on an airplane. In his routine, he points out that an airplane is really a scaled-down version of our world-we have a tiny table, a tiny TV, a tiny seat, tiny utensils and a tiny bathroom. We can find literally everything we could possibly need for the duration of our flight on the plane (including a used razor blade slot in the bathroom, which, as Jerry Seinfeld astutely points out, is a rather ridiculous concept. Who is shaving on a plane? And who is shaving so much on a plane that he would use up an entire razor blade?)Similarly, college students-whether they like it or not-find themselves on their own small island for four years. While there may not be any clever Seinfeld jokes to make about this reality, the fact is that there is almost nothing about college that is similar to the "real" world. In many ways, the Brandeis campus is our own little country. We have a judicial system, a currency, a police force and a transportation system. And most importantly, we have our Student Union.

This being said, it's fairly obvious that while Brandeis attempts to offer us all of the services that the "real" world offers its citizens, students do not pay nearly as much attention or care nearly as much as actual citizens do. This applies especially to the Student Union. Let's be blunt: Most people couldn't care less. Why is this? Simply put, the stakes are lower here. There aren't any serious repercussions for our lack of participation in the system. And most students see the Student Union as merely a group of individuals who allocate funds. There is no greater evidence for this apathy than our pathetically low voter turnout. The voting procedure really only requires a 30-second process of clicking a few links on a Web site that is conveniently e-mailed to us. But alas, this is too burdensome. Here's a statistic that sums up the problem nicely: "Last semester, the highest percentage of voters, at 56.23 percent, participated in the Class of 2013 senator election while the lowest, at 4.10 percent, participated in the off-campus senator election." In the real world, on the other hand, the election of a president or even a local government official can have a real impact on our lives. The unstable democracy of Iraq recently held historic elections in which voter participation will literally determine the fate of the country. Here at Brandeis, though, voting is more of a favor to a friend, or sometimes even an "eeny, meeny, miny, moe."

I could spend the rest of this column blaming the Student Union for our indifference. After all, if the government gave us good reason to think that voting is worth even 30 seconds of our time, there could be less apathy around campus. However, I'm not going to take this route. It's too easy, and it's been done.

I could also go to the other extreme and spend the rest of this article trying to argue that voting is extremely important. We are doing ourselves an injustice and not taking ourselves seriously enough by passively ignoring the whole process. It's totally our fault. We just happen to be a less idealistic and more distracted generation. However, this is a fairly na've and preachy argument; I'm not going to take that route, either.

There's a middle ground to be argued here, and it occurred to me two weeks ago when I read about the 11 amendments proposed by the Union Constitutional Review Committee. For those who have not heard (and I am sure there are many, unfortunately), the Constitutional Review Committee recently completed the process of reviewing the constitution of the student body. Some of the proposed changes would have an indirect effect on the way we go about our day-to-day lives as students. If you are curious, refer to last week's article and editorial. But here are two examples: The replacement of the Student Union Senate with a student "assembly" and "club support board" will "increase the efficiency of student government advocacy." Additionally, the amendment to permit additional student representation on the Board of Trustees will continue to ensure that our voices are heard.

Some of the ideas seem super technical, while others look incredibly practical. Some of them should be trashed, and others supported. But regardless of what you think about the specifics of these amendments, there is one thing that should hold true: They should all be voted on.

This Thursday, we will all receive that familiar e-mail with a link to vote on the constitutional amendments. But unlike the normal, seemingly pointless votes in which the majority of us do not partake, this vote carries real meaning-the examination of a crucial document. Unlike positions such as "off-campus senator," it's obvious why a constitution has inherent value to the lives of Brandeisians. The constitution helps determine how and where our money is spent. It helps determine how we elect our officials. It helps ensure that our student rights are maintained. It is literally the backbone of the Student Union, and we hold strongly to it (as witnessed by the impeachment process of Union Secretary Diana Aronin '11). Whether you realize it or not, the Student Union Constitution plays a role in your life as a student.

While it would be cool if a majority of students voted in every Student Union election, this will never happen. And, to be honest, that's OK. But this upcoming vote is unique, and we should treat it differently. For once, let's prove that we aren't hopelessly apathetic.