If I were a pettier person, I would tell the Boston University Student Union, “I told you so.” As tempting as that is, I instead find myself feeling regret for something that could have been prevented. During its first General Assembly meeting of the Spring semester, Union unanimously passed an amendment to its constitution, moving the jurisdiction of the Student Election Commission from Union to the Dean of Students Office. Well, almost unanimously. During the debate, I warned the GA not to trust an administrative office to fund an effort which it could budget for itself.
Without question, the integrity of the SEC and student elections in general should be of the utmost importance, not just for the GA but also for the student body which it represents. During the first meetings of the semester, I agreed with the sentiment of the amendment, but its foresight and execution were extremely flawed. Regardless, my pleas fell on deaf ears as I could not persuade a single person of my concern. Now, Union finds itself in a predicament that I will claim could have been avoided.
Not surprisingly, Union President James Sappenfield claimed ignorance, stating, “It was a huge surprise when Student Activities Office approached us about it” (“SAO broke SEC funding promise,” Feb. 9). My question now is, “why?” How could Union have proposed and pushed this amendment through (without due diligence, I would argue) without knowing the exact outcome? It is this sort of short-sighted and unnecessary venture that has doomed Union year after year. I am not blanketing Union with overt failure; however, I challenge people to name one change which Union has been able to bring. The purpose of student government is to represent the student body; not just call for change, but continue to force the issue with the administration. Since attending Union meetings this year, I have heard the same chorus from Union leadership, “You can’t fight the administration.”
If that’s the case, then I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised with the outcome of the newly passed amendment. But I’m left wondering: if Union won’t fight for us, who will?
Frank Pobutkiewicz
Political Consortia Representative
CAS &’ SMG 2010
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