Senate is disorderly, counterproductive

by The Simpsonian

With the Sept. 25 approval of the Student Senate budget, which was later vetoed by Student Body President Jake Abel, it seemed that concerns had finally been quelled.

Meeting attendees actually applauded as the votes were tallied, in fact. But, this is not the end of the discussion.

A precedent has been set that the Senate must be held accountable. Various members of the student body have taken an active interest in the Senate’s actions. This situation has many implications.

First, of course, there is the consideration that students are actually demonstrating a thirst for political involvement.

But, upon examination, the scenario that unfolds each week at the Wednesday night meetings is not indicative of government proceedings.

The Student Senate appears inefficient when it should be a climate for progress.

This seems largely related to the fact that students are not utilizing their elected senators as their spokespeople. This step is skipped with random interruptions and challenges merely for the sake of creating controversy.

For the first few meetings, attendees left with the feeling that nothing had been accomplished.

This fault does not fall completely on the heads of the senators, but also on the students who need to show respect and cooperate as the student government tries to work through the many issues that have already arose and will continue to come up during the semester.

Students need to remember that activism is only good when it produces a more just and productive system. Right now, it seems to be slowing things down.