SG / Senate and You!
By Karl-Thomas Musselman
Written in response to yesterday's story about Senate and SG bickering, a former Senate type wrote a very interesting Firing Line today. Here's a segment.
As an important first point, I separate the failure of the Senate from the successes of the individual college councils that are its members. The purpose, structure and membership of the Senate is a good foundation for better student representation and action, but Staha has failed to synergize its parts to achieve an effective position on campus. I do indeed feel that Student Government President Chaney does "respect and enjoy working together with the Senate," just not with Staha. The Texan, in its assumptions, failed to separate the merits of the Senate organization from its leadership.
As some Senate and SG insiders may know, several college councils openly called for Staha to resign last fall and others at least wanted him to defend or finally state what he had indeed accomplished. After searching Daily Texan archives and old SG minutes (Senate minutes are not made available on the Internet), I have a very short list. The Senate has apparently made progress on pushing the honor code, passed resolutions regarding tuition (note: resolution does not mean action), and unveiled a new Web site (without any real content).
Wow, Nick, students paying your $200 monthly stipend, providing you an office, and giving you a free parking garage permit sure got their money's worth. Lastly of note, readers should also know the Senate maintains two other offices on campus, so neither Nick nor the Senate would be without a home.
Most students don't know or care much about internal SG politics, though SG does end up getting a number of things done behind the scenes and need to better talk about those. But an even smaller total of students has a clue as to what goes on with the Senate, how it operates, and what it even does. I mean, I'm involved in comparison to a majority of students, and I don't really have a clue as to what Senate does.
This is one of the reasons why I will likely be moving away from Student Government some this semester and working with University Democrats instead who's first meeting is tomorrow night at 8 pm in GSB 2.124.
Posted by Karl-Thomas Musselman at January 25, 2005 02:15 PM
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blah blah blah blah
Who gives a fuck? Staha is a whore to the administration, Chaney is a wuss. Neither get anything done. More ITS space you say? Well bully for you- I stopped using it several months ago. Formed a committee to consider thinking about forming a commission to explore the possibility of perhaps (if it doesn't offend anyone) doing something that nobody gives a shit about? Thanks for wasting my time and money.
I used to be a part of this charade and I got over it real quick. The only thing about SG that makes me happy is that Brent Chaney will soon be gone to be replaced by someone better- both Jessica and Omar are good people- yet still inadequate. We need a junkyard dog with huge brass balls and the ability to look powerful good ol' boys in the eye and call them on their bullshit. We need a tough, mean, sneaky motherfucker in that job, and instead we have a castrated boy scout with the political skill of a drug-addled Libertarian.
I'm going to be keeping up with this race, and I might even throw my hat in there for sport. One way or another BOR readers will get some interesting perspective on this whole deal.
