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Letters to the Editor, 5/3/06

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by Letters to the Editor

Wednesday, May 3, 2006

Student Government had a clear goal from the start — to provide the students of UW—Madison with a better government.

While our original rhetoric was geared towards unseating ASM, the seeds of revolution have since sprouted saplings of reform. The claim that our movement was mere grandstanding ignores our success in blowing the whistle on ASM's lack of accountability, checks and balances and transparency. Two weeks ago, SSFC and ASM Student Council voted for a huge ethics rule change, directly citing Student Government as a major source of pressure. As per this change, no ASM representatives on Student Council or the SSFC may vote on amendments or budgets of a student organization in which they hold or have held a leadership position.

This week, members of the thirteenth session of ASM, including its newly elected leadership, have declared this session "one of reform." Additionally, ASM is working to digitize all its records so that any student may view all budgets, minutes and individual roll call votes online.

It is true that Student Government never wrote a new constitution to replace that of ASM's. Fortunately, change on this campus happens swiftly, and to say that SG never provided formal opposition is dead wrong. It is strange some feel their invested hope, energy and political capital have been wrongly spent when, in fact, their efforts have already contributed to substantial success.

Although dissolved, the ideals of SG will continue to inspire the reform of ASM. The responsibility is now ASM's — to reform or force another hand of revolution.

Erick Butzlaff, Sol Grosskopf, David Lapidus

Former members

Student Government

Don't knock MATC

In its editorial on April 25, the Editorial Board claimed that the agreement with MATC would potentially "dilute the value of a UW-Madison degree" and "fast-track transfer students who are not necessarily prepared."

The Editorial Board should listen to what Chancellor Wiley said at the Plan 2008 forum last Friday. Responding to attacks on the agreement with MATC, he said that students who express this opinion are not only ill-informed, but also they are "behaving in a way that's extraordinarily elitist."

I find it ironic that amidst all of its support for a better campus climate for minority students, the Herald does not pursue a better climate for transfer students.

I know from personal experience that many students who transfer to this campus can feel the hostility in the air. If they should mention that they transferred here from another UW school, most UW students doubt their competency or their worth.

Madison's academic prestige does not give students license to look down on those who were not admitted. Prejudice is never warranted.

The Editorial Board and other students on campus need to realize that more students come here from MATC than from any other school in the state. We owe a debt of gratitude to MATC for sending so many talented students our way, and in fact, our university is better for it.

Mike Ewing

UW student

Feedback

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Anonymous (May 3, 2006 @ 9:28am):

you guys give yourself way too much credit. you're a complete joke on campus. true, the ssfc bylaw changes were slightly significant, but they're in response to an SJ case from last year, not from your "revolutionary" grandstanding.

Anonymous (May 3, 2006 @ 10:08am):

Hmm, in that whole debate about changing the SSFC by-laws, I am positive Student Government was not mentioned once. I'm not sure where people were "directly citing Student Government as a major source of pressure," but maybe it was just in your heads. Its time to stop grandstanding and trying to take all the credit for reform. It was the SSFC's subcommittee which wrote and proposed the ethics reforms in the bylaws, long before and without consultation with SG. ASM digitizing its records has been in the works for a year as well.

Anonymous (May 3, 2006 @ 6:39pm):

As a transfer student i can say that I was NOT prepared to be here either after my first year i was dropped for bad grades granted I came back and will be graduating on the 14th but many transfer students are shown the door and never come back this most definately dilutes a Madison degree

Anonymous (May 3, 2006 @ 11:51pm):

I think that SG allowed for many students to finally realise what their government on campus is and what they do. For that I think they deserve the most credit.