OPINION & EDITORIAL
Shhhhh …. ASM is meeting
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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:
- Madison's annual hip-hop conference falters (April 14, 2003)
- Dear Dave: Post this near your desk (April 17, 2003)
- Politicking destroyed opt-out's proponents (April 14, 2003)
- Don't Cut Historical Society Funds (April 29, 2003)
- Redirecting control (April 23, 2003)
Related Stories:
- Enough said (November 15, 2001)
- Opportunities squandered (February 17, 2003)
- ASM must trim the fat within (February 5, 2003)
- Cut the bickering and the appeals: opt-in system the only way to keep lid on fees (January 17, 2003)
- Last Thursday's Student Council meeting never happened. (October 7, 2002)
by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
With no public announcement, student council members charged with approving the unprecedented increase in student organization funding met with student organization leaders Tuesday night.
Associated Students of Madison chair Jessica Miller classified the meeting as a chance for council members to ask questions and learn more about the budgets ahead of Thursday night’s pivotal meeting. She said the failure to properly publicize the event was an “oversight” and the victim of other ?priorities.?
The arrogance displayed by student government Tuesday night is frightening. The student fee distribution process is flawed, but exists for a reason. Students should be allowed input at every step of the process. By having secret meetings like Tuesday night’s, ASM willfully subverted the public process.
Why should students care if ASM members are meeting in secret? Unlike any other student organization, ASM has the legal power to tax students. Unchecked and unbalanced, ASM has virtually free reign over how much students pay in segregated fees.
And ASM knows it. By de-emphasizing the need for student input, ASM makes it look like they think it’s its money, rather than students’ money.
Unbelievably, ASM may not have broken the law by having an unannounced meeting. But they clearly broke the spirit of the rules guaranteeing openness in student fee distribution.
Students should be outraged.
ASM should be willing to listen.
