Disband Student Union Tribunal

With so much going on in the world, I’m a bit ashamed to litter the opinion page with what is probably nothing more than a banal recitation of self-evident truths about this university’s student government: the Student Union Tribunal is the most deficient, flimsy, unnecessary and laugh/vomit-inducing body on campus.

And I speak from experience. Last year, I served as president of the Student Union the position now held by Ethan Clay and for eight months, I’ve kept my mouth shut (most probably wish I would continue to do so) as I opened each Tuesday’s Daily Free Press to see what tricks the Union was up to at those crazy Monday night Senate meetings. Today, I’m afraid to say I can no longer sit idly by while the Tribunal makes a mockery of itself and the Union, while simultaneously betraying the students (who they serve in theory, but ignore in fact).

First, the two members of the Tribunal whose work I am familiar with (James Hoogenhaus and John Underwood) are completely unqualified for the positions they hold. This is by no means an attack on their intelligence or their leadership abilities (we’ll save that for another day); rather, as an outsider with considerable experience in the Union and a decent amount of legal knowledge, I honestly believe there are few students on this or any campus with the maturity, impartiality and strict understanding of legal rules and principles required to maintain a supreme judiciary. (I encourage you all to browse through The Daily Free Press’ archives, where you will see I had similar confrontations with the Tribunal last year because they couldn’t even read let alone interpret the constitution.)

Mar. 4, the Student Union Tribunal deemed President Clay’s scheme for constitutional revision unconstitutional. Today, I beg the question, ‘Why?’ All too often, the Tribunal shoots its proverbial impartiality in the foot by issuing bogus ‘opinions’ supported by little precedent and often even less coherence. Which brings me to my next point: these ubiquitous mid-Senate Tribunal hissy-fits (quite accurately portrayed by The Daily Free Press) are demonstrative of the special body’s lack of maturity. How often do we see Chief Justice William Rehnquist or justices Antonin Scalia or Ruth Bader Ginsburg run up to the podium during meetings of the U.S. Senate and (in addition to using demeaning slurs like ‘son’) rule on the spot, with little to no deliberation and absolutely no oral argument? Never.

The Tribunal’s actions indicate that it is more interested in creating policy than it is in interpreting and applying the constitution. But policy making is better left to other branches of the Student Union. The Tribunal therefore deems itself expendable (and largely confused), while undermining the leadership abilities of the Executive Board and the Senate, both competent and responsible elected bodies seeking to leave a positive mark on this community.

I strongly urge members of the Union Senate to consider impeachment proceedings (citing general incompetence) pursuant to Article Three, Section Three of the Union constitution. I further urge whatever committee now judicially created to review the constitution to disband the Tribunal. We’ve had enough.