When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

If you find yourself asking where the above came from you have one of two options; one it to look it up and do yourself a favor. The other is to disregard it, considering it to be irrelevant. If chosen the latter, don’t continue reading, as it will only cause you headaches. The video game review is found elsewhere. (Ironically, I believe those who fully understand the significance of the above are in fact the ones I’m using it against.)

That being said…

It has become highly evident to some, enlightened individuals that our fine university is going through a period of… let’s say turbulence.  Recent evidence has come out dealing with a missing $74,000, overspent by the Activities Committee. Once revealed, this brought questions of “whose fault is it” and “how could this have happened”. As of this writing, these questions haven’t been fully answered, and I for one will not attempt to answer them, being that they are highly irrelevant at this point. The money is gone, there’s nothing we can do to get it back, stop whining.

No, for I will address a far greater concern here at good old Lake State, and that is the role, or lack there of, that Student Government has taken. Instead of fixing the problem, finding a solution, and preventing it from happening again, our fair and balanced Student Government has taken up the practice of pointing the finger, covering up their lack of action and misgoverning by blaming someone else. It seems that the blame game is in season here.

In the recent Student Government hearings of April 11^th, to decide that fate of Michelle Thalacker (or so it was claimed, which was the only reason I was listening), nothing was accomplished. As it was broadcast on the radio, the entire WLSO audience, (of what, half a dozen?) heard nothing but arguing and poorly disguised insults. The meeting eventually ended with a unanimous decision to adjourn with business still on the table. I don’t understand politics, but that seems…well… kinda dumb. Is that professional behavior? Not know what professional behavior is, I cannot answer.

In addition, a recent editorial found in this very paper struck my interest. In “An Open Letter to Dr. Ken Peress”, one John Petkus takes quite a shot at one of the best things to happen to LSSU in quite sometime; Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Ken Peress. While most of this letter is just big words, insults, and empty threats, the writer voices some pretty harsh comments at several important individuals.

Firstly in the list of complaints is the lack of reaction by the Director of Student Activities. As far as I recall, there was a letter printed that explained and apologized for the situation, and saying a course of action would be decided on. That sounds pretty good to me. I mean, what else can be done? A problem that big can’t be fixed overnight. Yet Mr. Petkus claims this letter was not enough. What does he expect? For Dr. Peress to personally apologize to every student on campus? That’s a lot of gift baskets.

The writer, Mr. Petkus, goes so far to say that the Activities Board “had something to hide”. I’m sure that’s what happened there Johnny-Boy. That 74 grand must have gone right into the administration’s pocket. I mean, where else could it have gone? Too many lousy musicians found on Myspace? No Way!

Claims of the Administration “shifting the blame to the students” are equally ridiculous. Does anyone really think Dr. Rodney “Big Rod” Lowman is going to blame me, or any student for some missing cash? Is he going to shake me down until the debt is paid? No. And talks of raising tuition and other fees to pay for the debt? Well, until I see the document, with an enormous letterhead (the bigger the letterhead, the more important the letter) that says fees will be increased; that’s all it is. Talk. A veritable boogeyman created by uninformed individuals to drum up support for their equally uninformed cause.

Mr. Petkus claims that the students of LSSU want the head of the Director of Student Activities “on a plate”. That sure is a nice thing to say. That’ll solve everything, right? No, it won’t. This isn’t France, and you are not Robespierre. Getting rid of someone rather than solving a problem isn’t the way to fix something. There was once a group of people that thought that way. They were called the Nazis. Obviously, this statement of having a “head on a plate” is not a professional thing to do at all, and you can see why it is nothing more than a tasteless attack. Mr. Petkus even goes so far as to threaten the career of Dr. Peress. Ken’s not going anywhere.

But the only thing that really grinds my gears was the following; “On the issue, I must speak frankly and express the honest opinion as a whole”. One guy can’t do that. Can you think of someone that tried to do everything his way, claiming it was for the greater good? I can think of a few. Stalin comes to mind. Mr. Petkus claims to be following the accord of the student population. I don’t think the student body wants, or thinks a round of firings will do any good. If that letter was never published in the first place, and a small minority didn’t raise a hissy-fit, most students would still be in the dark on the matter. Would that be any better? Probably not, but let’s face it. This campus is pretty uninterested in doing anything. One only needs to attend any campus event to see student apathy in action. Whether it’s a lame comedy act, or a so-so musician, the average attendance for campus events is pretty small, and usually limited to activities board members. My guess is students probably would be interested in doing anything in this situation either.

And so, there you have it; my humble attempt to give another opinion at this whole sticky situation. Perhaps I’ve been a bit critical at the Student Government, but I feel they are not doing a good enough job during this “scandal”. Are they doing a terrible job? No, but there are certain issues that need to be addressed, and a certain protocol that needs to be followed. Perhaps this letter will give them, and the student body as a whole a better idea of the thoughts and feelings shared by a number of students. While I do not claim to be speaking for anyone’s opinion other than my own, I would guess that there a more than you think who feel this way. It is my hope that this letter does something to better Student Government’s abilities. Perhaps it will wake them up and make them see what students really want. I’m not attempting to be a rabble rouser, or modern day Junius (look him up), but I would hope I’m making a difference. In closing, I leave with a thought. Is the apathy of the student body a result of the apathy expressed by those who represent them?

Be first to comment this article

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved