‘True 2’ doesn’t truly represent

n After carefully perusing the platform statements presented by the three slates running for the Student Union, I believe that the “True 2” slate will effectively represent the real needs of the students because they own the most suits. Plus, they can keep their smiles fixed on their faces the longest at campaigning events. Don’t forget they are also the heirs to our current Student Union board, “True,” and its president, Ethan Clay. And don’t bother criticizing our current government: Mr. Clay has no interest in worthless criticism from people whose only goal is to “inflate their own egos and attempt to justify their own existence” (“Union criticism undeserved,” March 21, pg. 10). Personally, I love to hear that my representative thinks that my dissenting voice is the result of my own desire for attention.

If this is who we “truly” are vain children who like to hear ourselves speak then maybe “True 2” is the slate that best represents us. I admit that I feel many people who get involved in politics only do so because they enjoy feeling important and honored. Everyone loves giving quotes for the newspaper (take some of the “awesome” quotes from our president in The Daily Free Press for proof of how badly our student body needs a thesaurus). I’m not saying that candidates don’t want to do a good job. But I have a hard time trusting a student president who participated in the “BU Rally for Tolerance” which was promoted in a way that made many students feel the event was going to rally students to call for new Boston University policies. Instead, it turned out to be a Boston University-sponsored event, featuring none other than Ethan Clay, in which BU was lavishly praised. Many students felt duped by the whole thing. Our current administration has not done an “awesome” job of being in tune with the attitude of students. Perhaps it is time to question whether the government is pursuing issues that the student body really cares about. Frankly, I would be more than happy if the “True 2” slate spent less time trying to create “a more united and prideful campus” if it meant they would spend more time on the issues that the student body has clearly been concerned about, such as a satisfactory guest policy, grade deflation or, oh yeah, that whole cable thing that has “risen to an absurd level of importance” because students have talked about it (“‘True 2’ slate truly best for Union,” March 26, pg. 11).

Honestly, I’d like to believe that the suits care about what I have to say. But I approached them at a recent campaigning event and began to voice some of my complaints with the administration, only to be cut off and told how great Ethan Clay was, how he “really doesn’t do things for himself, that’s what most people don’t realize, he truly does things for other people.” Frankly, I don’t see that the “True 2” slate offers any sort of change from our current e-board and its condescending attitude toward the student body.

Adam Cloe

CAS ’04