I wish to commend Rowan Armor not only for insisting on the removal of Woog and Ferreira, but also for taking his argument to the student body. I feel it demonstrates the concern for the very ‘will of the student body’ the two gentlemen under scrutiny apparently have held as a defense of their actions. Between the suggestions to disband the checks on his office and clamoring about the ‘will of the people’, Woog does a marvelous impersonation of Julius Caesar.
Nevertheless, I must disagree with Armor. I think it is clear that simply removing the current leadership by impeachment will not solve the problem. The potential for abusing the current system still clearly exists, and discovering abuses after they occur does not undo the damage (I think Ferreira still owes me and every other undergraduate 2 cents for his parking pass).
I am quite disgusted with this whole situation. I think that not even the editors of the Free Press, clearly opinionated about the matter, have addressed the complete disservice the current slate has done. Thanks to them the Union is once again irrelevant, it invokes memories of my freshman year. Now, as we welcome a new President to this university who may very well be more sympathetic to the concerns of the student body than past and current leaders, the two gentlemen in question have embarrassed and failed the entire student body through their hubris.
Failed is not too strong a word. This demonstration of arrogance has cost the Union any momentum it may have had from last year. How can they have any credibility with the administration on the subjects they promised to tackle if they lack credibility with the students they claim to represent? If the Union tries to deal with this from within, it is likely that they will achieve little or nothing of value in the coming year. I support the more radical solution offered by the Free Press: suspend and reform the governing body under the guidance of the Dean. If necessary take all year to reform or replace the Union, clearly the current incarnation is of little use to us as it is. It is my hope that change is made and the resulting student government looks nothing like the mess we face now.
Justin Travis CAS ’04
(617) 352-2247
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