Student Letter of Response
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: Opinion
Dear angered student over the SGA,
I think it is wonderful that you are expressing your concerns about the SGA and what you feel, however this can be done in a much different way. Instead of trying to call everything out that you may not have the full details on, every SGA meeting is open to the public, they even have seats for you to sit in! I will be addressing some of your concerns not as a member of the SGA, member of a sorority, a Big Sib, or as an upperclassman. Instead I will be addressing you as a fellow student who does in some aspects understand your concerns. When the senators, the STUDENT BODY VOTED for, enter the ABC rooms of the Student Union every other organization we are in does not enter that room with us. We are strictly Senators who do our job to represent the student body. To unfairly call out two Greek organizations is something I have a big issue with. I am also a Big Sib; does that mean I only vote for what I think the Big Sib program will need? No, it doesn't. We are mature enough to realize our roles and duties as Senators and let that go as we walk in the door and vote for what we feel is the best for the ENTIRE school. Of course we are not going to make everyone happy if we do then we are lying to everyone including ourselves and not doing our jobs because there is no way you can please everyone. There are also a variety of representatives that serve on the Senate. Those Senators range from Athletics, Multicultural, Black Student Association, Greek, Honor, Judicial Board representatives and there are plenty more. Your letter seems to really only be addressing the money issue. However, the SGA deals with different issues everyday. Ranging from school safety, voter election turnout, textbook prices, to what community service projects we can put on to establish a better relationship with the Town of Farmville. Money seems to be the hot topic this semester, every article of the Rotunda seems to stir up emotions in someone. I applaud them for that-these changes are what make a newspaper successful. The Student Finance Committee has a heck of a job deciding what organizations get money and which ones do not. This is not an easy task as we have to think about the student body as a whole or they majority of the student body and what they will benefit from. I can not speak on behalf of our President and Vice President on what they said about working on a bill. I can however speak on how difficult it is to decide fairly who is to receive money and to ensure we are not broke by the end of fall semester to ensure if students come before us in the spring they can be allocated money. The whole board may not feel the same on the issues but it is a majority rule and if the majority feels the student's money could be used elsewhere then that's how they vote. Do note that everything the SFC votes on must still be approved by the Senate and then the money is really allocated. The rumor of donating the money back to the school is extremely false. That is not why the SGA allocates money the way they do. There is a set list of bylaws that must be followed that have been set in place for years. This is nothing new the SGA has been doing. Organizations have been allocated and denied money for years. SGA has to balance their spending. There are almost a hundred organizations on this campus and if money was given to every organization that came before us, whether it is legit or not, the budget would be down to nothing within the first two weeks. I would hope you would respect at least some of what the SGA does instead of criticize it every other word. I am speaking only on behalf of myself but you have raised a few good issues, others could be rethought, so I thank you for those and I know they will be taken into consideration. It also seems like you are speaking on behalf of the Student Body and enjoy that so I expect to see you name on Blackboard next semester running to be a Senator. I'll leave you with a quote, "…be the change you wish to see in the world" -- Mahatma Gandhi.
Sincerely,
Your fellow peer
I think it is wonderful that you are expressing your concerns about the SGA and what you feel, however this can be done in a much different way. Instead of trying to call everything out that you may not have the full details on, every SGA meeting is open to the public, they even have seats for you to sit in! I will be addressing some of your concerns not as a member of the SGA, member of a sorority, a Big Sib, or as an upperclassman. Instead I will be addressing you as a fellow student who does in some aspects understand your concerns. When the senators, the STUDENT BODY VOTED for, enter the ABC rooms of the Student Union every other organization we are in does not enter that room with us. We are strictly Senators who do our job to represent the student body. To unfairly call out two Greek organizations is something I have a big issue with. I am also a Big Sib; does that mean I only vote for what I think the Big Sib program will need? No, it doesn't. We are mature enough to realize our roles and duties as Senators and let that go as we walk in the door and vote for what we feel is the best for the ENTIRE school. Of course we are not going to make everyone happy if we do then we are lying to everyone including ourselves and not doing our jobs because there is no way you can please everyone. There are also a variety of representatives that serve on the Senate. Those Senators range from Athletics, Multicultural, Black Student Association, Greek, Honor, Judicial Board representatives and there are plenty more. Your letter seems to really only be addressing the money issue. However, the SGA deals with different issues everyday. Ranging from school safety, voter election turnout, textbook prices, to what community service projects we can put on to establish a better relationship with the Town of Farmville. Money seems to be the hot topic this semester, every article of the Rotunda seems to stir up emotions in someone. I applaud them for that-these changes are what make a newspaper successful. The Student Finance Committee has a heck of a job deciding what organizations get money and which ones do not. This is not an easy task as we have to think about the student body as a whole or they majority of the student body and what they will benefit from. I can not speak on behalf of our President and Vice President on what they said about working on a bill. I can however speak on how difficult it is to decide fairly who is to receive money and to ensure we are not broke by the end of fall semester to ensure if students come before us in the spring they can be allocated money. The whole board may not feel the same on the issues but it is a majority rule and if the majority feels the student's money could be used elsewhere then that's how they vote. Do note that everything the SFC votes on must still be approved by the Senate and then the money is really allocated. The rumor of donating the money back to the school is extremely false. That is not why the SGA allocates money the way they do. There is a set list of bylaws that must be followed that have been set in place for years. This is nothing new the SGA has been doing. Organizations have been allocated and denied money for years. SGA has to balance their spending. There are almost a hundred organizations on this campus and if money was given to every organization that came before us, whether it is legit or not, the budget would be down to nothing within the first two weeks. I would hope you would respect at least some of what the SGA does instead of criticize it every other word. I am speaking only on behalf of myself but you have raised a few good issues, others could be rethought, so I thank you for those and I know they will be taken into consideration. It also seems like you are speaking on behalf of the Student Body and enjoy that so I expect to see you name on Blackboard next semester running to be a Senator. I'll leave you with a quote, "…be the change you wish to see in the world" -- Mahatma Gandhi.
Sincerely,
Your fellow peer
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
LongwoodGeek
Gerald (Gerry) Martin
posted 1/22/09 @ 4:24 AM EST
Dear "Your Fellow Peer,"
In reading your article I noticed something that seems to strike me as very peculiar; a bit of naiveness when it comes to actual human beings and their actions. (Continued…)
Phillip Burns
posted 1/27/09 @ 4:41 PM EST
To whom it may concern -
1) I understand the need to follow protocol. I understand the need to follow a Constitution and the By-laws that follow it. (Continued…)
Ben Byrnes
posted 1/29/09 @ 2:43 AM EST
I think the SGA is well aware that when they put themselves into positions of power, they will be criticized, but they will also be complimented. They need to get use to that, no matter how extreme the pieces of writing are against them. (Continued…)
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