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The Student Government changed powers in January, and so far the new administration is taking its campaign slogan of “enjoy being” to mean that they should do little to lead the student body. WMEB organized a forum for student concerns to be addressed by the student body president, vice president and a representative of Student Entertainment that was aired on Monday night. It didn’t happen according to the original plan. The Student Government president, Fred Odera, didn’t show, and neither did anyone from Student Entertainment. The absences left Vice President Kamal Shannak to answer questions – and the answers were very disappointing.
One of the major topics was the fee for the new Union. Seniors looking to Student Government to impress the administration with the importance of the refund will be disappointed, as Shannak claimed that they are waiting for student interest before proceeding. The position of a student president is to take the initiative on motivating change in the interest of the students, not to wait for the students to move for them. Shannak also expressed no interest in participating in the hiring of a new director for Public Safety, a position that has a major impact on campus.
Chris Moody and his administration began a student government newsletter to inform the university community of the organization’s happenings. Odera and Shannak want to do away with the newsletter, even though investments were made in computer equipment for the newsletter.
We feel that this less-than-stellar start can quickly be righted by recognizing the concerns of students, and acting in line with those concerns in the students’ best interests. Then seniors can “enjoy being” students who don’t fund a project they will never see.
