On Oct. 31, Student Government held an election to elect the president and vice president of the student body. This was accompanied by a referendum on raising the student activity fee from $45 to $55 per semester.

This question was resoundingly defeated. Only 357 of 1,216 voters were in favor of the fee increase, meaning roughly 70% of students disapproved of the rise in cost, which demonstrates that the virulent anti-tax spirit that spurred the revolution of 1776 is still alive and well in American society.

And while it’s hardly surprising that an area with a heritage that includes the Boston Tea Party would oppose, on principle, an increase in fee, this attitude glosses over more important aspects of the issue.

The student activity fee goes to fund events sponsored by Student Entertainment and covers some of the costs of various student organizations.

Part of the disadvantage of this fee is its insulating effect on student awareness of operating costs for various university-sponsored functions.

Activities and events put on by recognized student organizations are frequently free or of little cost to those who wish to attend. That is because they are subsidized by money from Student Government, stemming from the revenue raised from the student activity fee.

So while students rarely see the cost of campus events come out of their pockets, organizations do. Though some money is budgeted to them from Student Government, they pay fair market value for the tools and goods necessary to put on campus-wide events. They have to combat inflation and price increases.

And without more resources at their disposal, this inevitably means that they will be forced to do less. This means fewer concerts, holiday celebrations and general events.

Considering how frequent the complaints over the dearth of on-campus activities offered are, it seems odd that the student body should be so united against an opportunity to increase the offerings.

Really, what’s $10? The equivalent of coffee for a week, espresso drinks for a few days, a six-pack of beer? In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that much to ask for all the convenience of student amenities.

The fee would have been a $20 increase per year per student. Multiplied by the roughly 8,700 undergraduates, that’s about an additional $174,000 a year to be distributed among student organizations.

Many activities, representing chances to meet new friends, gain important job skills or just relax, could have been funded with this money.

Chances are, this kind of analysis was not what sprang to mind when those few students who took the opportunity to voice their opinions cast their ballots.

And this raises another unsettling point — only roughly one eighth of the student body voted on an issue that affects each and every enrolled undergraduate. In essence, this means this impactful issue was decided by a tiny minority of the student body.

In and of itself, this is unsavory. Defeat by a simple majority, or plurality as the case may be, is one thing. But when opportunity to improve student life is squandered by pure apathy toward the health of the campus community and a willingness to relinquish one’s voice, the implications for other communal issues are alarming indeed.