The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Defending Prudencio

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to last week's editorial concerning the SGA executive board debate. The following statement was made regarding the decision to place Filipino Student Association President Jennifer Prudencio on the panel:

"As for Filipino Student Association President Jen Prudencio, we wonder why the election commission did not choose someone that represented a larger campus group, as opposed to one small faction."

The statement not only undermines the qualification of Prudencio to sit on the panel, but it also implies that because of her ethnic background she only represents the Filipino students on campus. These assumptions are wrong.

During her four years at Saint Louis University, Prudencio has proven herself as a leader who is highly respected by her peers. Her nomination and election as this year's homecoming queen exemplifies this respect. In addition to her current position as Filipino Student Association President, she has been actively involved with University 101, Oriflamme, SLU 101, Campus Ministry, the International Student Federation, Omicron Delta Kappa, and the Honors Program. She also presides over Psi Chi, the national honor society of psychology majors chapter at SLU.

Prudencio's student representation is by no means limited to the Filipino "faction." She is a representative of all ethnic minorities. She is representative of all students who are not a part of the Greek system. She is a representative of all students in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a representative of every female student on this campus.

I question why all of these qualifications were so casually overlooked, choosing instead to focus primarily on the fact that she is Filipino. An observation like this, unfortunately, is a direct reflection of the apathetic attitude of this University toward diversity. I wonder if the same statement would have been made if a non-minority student organization president had been seated on the panel last week.

If Prudencio does not meet your qualifications for who the ideal panelist should have been, please enlighten us as to who does.

James Fortney
Senior, College of Arts and Sciences

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