What If USC Student Gov Ran on Blockchain?
Hello friends!
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about USC’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG). I learned that they’re responsible for a lot of decisions that affect students life on campus. But throughout my 2 years at USC…I honestly never knew who was running it, or how any of the decisions were made. I used to think maybe I just wasn’t paying attention, but I’ve heard the same thing from a lot of friends and classmates too. That got me thinking: what if USC’s USG was on-chain?
The current system has issues
Every year, I see students running campaigns, (some) other students voting, and then we don’t hear much until the next year! The budget process is closed. The decision making mechanisms are unclear. And really…students who don’t already know someone in USG usually stay on the sidelines! USG was supposed to be about representation, and as a trojan, I barely noticed any of that.
What if it was on-chain?
In a blockchain-based government body, every student would have an on-chain token that allows them to vote. Not a tradable token, but just a proof that you’re part of the USC community that year. You wouldn’t be voting on every single thing, but you could have a role in certain decisions….maybe giving feedback on proposals, voting on major events, or helping approve new clubs. And even when you’re not voting, you’d still be able to see everything happening: what proposals are submitted, who’s voting, how funds are used. The whole process would be recorded on an open ledger, from proposal to execution. That wouldn’t only increase trust, but also engagement, because now this would feel like a real student representation!
Let’s take an example: a new student club wants to organize a cultural event. They submit a proposal asking for $2,000 from the USG budget. Right now, that decision is made by a few people in USG, and most students don’t even hear about it. But in an on-chain model, all of us could at least see who voted for and against the proposal. And if the proposal passes the funds are paid out automatically from the treasury. In some cases (if it’s a big event) maybe it even gets opened up for a student vote! We’d all have simple USC-linked blockchain wallets (not for trading or crypto stuff) but just to engage and have a say in where our tuition dollars are going.
Inspirations
This idea isn’t something brand new. I got inspired by blockchain projects like Optimism. They created something called the “Citizen House,” where token holders are separated from the builders….but both groups help guide decisions. That model made me think: maybe at USC, students and elected reps could have a similar balance. It doesn’t have to be one group making every choice.
Culture, not tools
Of course, I don’t think this would magically fix all the problems. We’d still need to think about things like identity verification, participation fatigue, and how to onboard the not-so-technical students. But at the core, this kind of system sends a strong message: student voices matter every day, not just during elections. Transparency becomes the normal thing. Decisions are shared. And maybe, for the first time, we’d all feel like this is our government (not just something that happens in the background)!
Until the next hash, Abed
