2008 Woodie Awards
EDITORIALS
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Student Leaders: Hong, Zapf should be ousted
Conduct unbecoming of a senator."
What does that mean?
For her part in the scandal that erupted last week in the Student Government Association, senator Kim Hong has been impeached by the Committee for Internal Affairs and censured by her fellow senators; she has not, however, been expelled from the association.
Although the CIA decided that Hong was guilty of "conduct unbecoming of a senator," and was consequentially impeached, the SGA as a whole pled the Jesuit Mission and gave her a slap on the wrist, which will require her to write a letter of apology as well as helping to organize the SGA's annual Rock the Vote.
The reasoning behind SGA's sudden urge to forgive and forget was voiced last night by many of her fellow senators, who stated that as a friend, they would have done the same if they had been in Hong's shoes.
The fact that many of our representatives in SGA would have done the same does not make Hong's actions right. After all, "everyone" drives a few miles over the speed limit. The difference between SGA and speeding drivers, however, is that when speeders get caught by police, they wouldn't dream of using the argument that "everyone does it" as an excuse.
For that matter, Zapf should also have been impeached. The fact that he was not a senator at the time that he found out about the situation should have no bearing on the degree of his compliance.
In essence, the SGA has two main responsibilities: to represent its constituents in making recommendations in the form of resolutions, and to allocate money to student groups.
Hong and Zapf were complacent in the misappropriation of funds, which is a direct misuse of one of the most important responsibilities with which the SGA is endowed.
Their actions make SGA look bad. Yes, they urged their friend Andrew Chappelle to fess up and take responsibility for his actions.
But that was not enough. While Hong and Zapf may not have taken the issue to the proper authority out of a desire to allow Chappelle the time to make the right decision on his own, they should have given him an ultimatum.
It may not be a particularly friendly thing to say to a friend that he must report his own "mistake" or else they would, but Hong especially, having taken her oath of office, should have known better than to leave it up to her friend. She had a responsibility to represent the students, whose money Chappelle had used to buy an iPod, which was given to former SGA Financial Vice President Justin Butler.
This is not a critique of Hong's character. There is a difference between bad character and an act of irresponsibility, the latter of which Hong is guilty of.
The bottom line is that the members of SGA are friends, and last night, they cited the Jesuit Mission and the virtue of forgiveness as reason to excuse someone who broke the trust she had with her constituents.
There is a difference between embracing the Jesuit Mission and hiding behind it, which is what SGA members have done in this situation.
It may be true that everyone has skeletons in their closet. Most of the time they don't get caught, but Hong and Zapf did, and they need to take responsibility for their actions. They made the entire SGA look bad, and the senators did themselves a disservice by refusing to expel them from the organization.
State of the Association: SGA should keep goals in mind
In the wake of last night's breezy State of the Association address by Student Government Association President Adam Meister, The University News felt it was time to reflect on the goals set early last fall and their relative successes and failures. These priorities can be found on the SGA website, sga.slu.edu.
Upper-class scholarships
For at least the past four years, scholarships for upperclassmen have been a topic of conversation in SGA-but that's about it. While, in years past, the SGA has tried various initiatives to bring about additional funding for upper-class scholarships, no real progress has been made. So far this year, the SGA has not dealt with the issue. Those who plan to run for SGA executive board next year should get out the white-out and scratch it off of their platforms because, after all, as great as upperclassmen scholarships might sound, we need to stop kidding ourselves; scholarships for upperclassmen make a great campaign issue, but will never happen.
Core-class standardization
The standardization of core classes was an important part of SGA Academic Vice President Jessica Cusick's platform. While Cusick has said she is "examining" the situation-collecting syllabi and studying various grading scales-nothing has come to the senate floor.
Student safety on campus (parking lots)
Students feel relatively safe on campus; in other words, nothing has changed. No SGA legislation has been formally introduced to improve campus safety.
Props to the Department of Public Safety for maintaining the status quo in regard to student safety-quite a feat, after all, since we are situated in downtown St. Louis, which is said to be one of the most crime-ridden cities in the country.
Academic advising and counseling
We've all seen the Raisin Bran rip-off posters encouraging students to take advantage of two scoops of student advising by visiting their new Web site, which features a laundry list of student advisors and their e-mail addresses catalogued by major. While advisers in some major fields still need to be found, students with advising or mentoring needs should find this website, and take advantage of the resources SGA has to offer them.
Simon Recreational Center renovation
While the Rec has a very limited supply of new equipment-bars and grips in the weight room-it is still a far cry from what students need or deserve. SGA has not made any legislative effort to improve the quality of our Rec center. However, regardless of whether SGA had anything to do with its promotion to the world of intramurals, dodgeball is awesome.
Undergraduate research
Hooray for the new research building. While SGA didn't have a direct hand in the decision to construct a new research facility, it does seem to fulfill their goal quite nicely.
Expanding dining options
Check. SGA has done a good job of working to expand dining options. Plans are in process to bring in several fast-food options, and students seem to be taking advantage of The Bean. The senate has also approved a resolution to convert the space near Grand Market to more a more comfortable environment for students to study beyond 3 p.m.
Housing process restructuring and space for sophomores
Check. SGA recently passed a resolution to prohibit squatting and pull-ins, which should keep housing in flux and open up more space for students who really deserve to live in on-campus apartments.
Addressing social justice issues
While the SGA has yet to make any decisions regarding a social justice position on the executive board, social justice issues have been discussed, to an extent.
Increasing SLU pride among students
Trying to eradicate student apathy on campus can be like beating a dead horse; hopefully, between the different initiatives that have been enacted by Student Life and the new arena-when it is eventually constructed-we will see some sort of change. To date, SGA has done little to spread school spirit, and the events of last week didn't do much to aid in the achievement of that goal.
All in all, SGA still has a number of goals yet to be accomplished. Let's hope that, in the wake of what has happened in the past few weeks, they will remember their duty to the students and take on these goals with renewed vigor to reaffirm the fact that they truly are on our side.