September 2015 was an exciting month for Class of 2019. Not only that it was the first month of classes and the first month of living in Shanghai, but also we witnessed intense campaigns from ten students running for the Class Representative. Their commitment and dedication was indeed inspiring -- freshman were ready to make a change and take a part in politics at NYU Shanghai.September 2016, on the other hand, was less eventful. For this year's Class of 2019 representative, nobody applied to run. This came as a surprise to many considering the fact that the previous year students seemed like the most dedicated class in the school. However, if we compare this year's situation to the fact that last year upper classmates were as interested in the position as current sophomores are -- with only one person running for Class Rep for each class -- we can notice a certain pattern. The lack of interest and school spirit is pretty obvious, but the question is, where does it arise from?A current sophomore, who requested to remain anonymous, reflected on running for the position of Class Representative last year, as well as the other positions the sophomore has served in Student Government, concluding that the reason for the lack of interest and school spirit lies in the “disorganization of Student Government.” School pride seems to fade away after "freshman fever" and students seem to lose interest in making a change through oragnizations. On the other hand, an upperclassman stated that the whole position was poorly advertised and not very well explained. Selma Žiga, a current junior, said that "people don't understand what Class Representative actually is and as such have very little or no interest in it."It is understandable that the sophomore year represents several new opportunities not always available as a freshman -- such as various internships -- but it is also important to remember that school spirit should remain alive. NYU Shanghai as a new institution needs help with establishing its reputation, and students taking a part in running for Student Government positions are the closest to making a change and bringing up issues students have in their daily lives. Also, in that way, we make the school more personal and we do, as one of the first classes, leave a trace behind us. This article was written by Emira Sabanovic. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Xinyu Wang