(no subject)
Below the cut is a letter to the Editor of the Rotunda that I just wrote (and also submitted as a response to their online article). There are links to what I am referencing in the tops of each. The second one is an old one that I decided to add as well. Let me know what you think!
Please note that this is a response to the "Letter to the Editor" in the Rotunda. The Rotunda is Longwood University's student-run newspaper. It is available at www.therotundaonline.com. The letter I am responding to is actually a response to the letter in the 12/3/2008 edition of the paper, also available at the Rotunda's website (here is a link to the letter).
Dear "Your Fellow Peer,"
In reading your article I noticed something that seems to strike me as very peculiar; a bit of naiveness when it comes to actual human beings and their actions. While I applaud the idea that someone will set aside all feelings towards something else that they hold dear when they enter a meeting, the truth of the matter is that does not happen. That is why Chi is an ideal that we all have to strive for, it is not natural for us to begin with (to quote the saying at the Chi Fountain "Chi, founded in 1900, is an ideal always sought but never obtained/It is the spirit found in the hearts and minds of those who seek its real purpose/Loyalty-Character-Respect-Challenge-Responsibility."). That would be like the newly elected President of the United States Barack Obama setting aside everything that he has worked for in the Democratic Party and adopting a neutral stance. It is all well and good to strive for that neutrality but the reality is that it will not happen except with much work. And many of the students do not see that kind of work being put out (even if it is).
Also, your letter seems to be referring to the money situation much more than the letter you are referencing. Truly I found only a single reference to money in the previous letter on 12/3/2008 (which I did not write) and that is in the first paragraph! The major of the letter focuses on procedural issues within the SGA itself such as following your own Constitution and the rest focuses on the attitudes of the SGA towards other organizations on campus. I also noticed that you still have not addressed any of these issues in your letter; I am hoping that is to follow in another Letter to the Editor sometime soon.
The questions that need to be addressed in my opinion are as follows:
1) Why is it that the meetings of the SGA are not publicized in some fashion? I am sure more Students would attend if they knew when and where the meetings are. I happen to know they are most often in the ABC rooms on Tuesdays at 3:45 but that is only because I have been instructed to come to them in the past. Student Finance Council (SFC) meetings are on Thursdays at 7pm and are open to the campus as well.
2) Why is it that parts of your own Constitution are not being followed? The biggest reference to that has been Jordan Miles sitting on the Senate as a Senator whilst also being the Chairperson of Judicial Board. This goes specifically against Article IV, Section 1, Subsection A, Paragraph 5, Sub-Paragraph R and it goes against Article V, Section 7.
3) Why are major revisions to the Constitution and other Bylaws not publicized to the campus? I know that we vote on the major changes to the Constitution as a student body, but why are they not publicized in some form such as in the Rotunda or via a mass email to the campus? Bylaw changes, such as to the SFC, are not voted on by the Student Body (Article 4, Section 1, Subsection B, Paragraph 3, Sub-Paragraph A) and are not known to the student body unless someone requests a copy from a Senator. Finding even how the voting went for the changes we do vote for is nearly impossible; I have yet to be able to find the voting group on Blackboard or find the counts on the votes.
4) Why is it that no information is given to the Senate on why the SFC voted the way it did? The Senate is expected to vote on the recommendation of the SFC which is not even a half-count (having just 12 members) of the entirety of the Senate but are given no explanation as to why the SFC reached the decision it did. Most organizations submit budget request paperwork to the SFC; why is this same paperwork not distributed to the Senators?
5) Why is there no publicized way to contact the SGA? This partly goes back to the question of the meetings of the SGA, but why is it that there is no listed way to contact the SGA or even a location of the SGA's offices (they are in the Student Union, around the corner of the C room of the ABC rooms) or a listing of office hours?
6) Speaking of the money, why is there no published listing of how the SGA allocates the money or even how much money the SGA has to allocate to begin with? It has been said that we are in a budget crunch but there has been no evidence to show it. There is also no accountability to the students in how the SGA uses the money.
7) Why was the money denied to APO when there is no current rule in effect that prevents them from having the money? It was said that a revision to the bylaws was being proposed but that it had not been proposed or passed as of yet. According to your Constitution (Article III, Section 4) there can be no Ex-Post Facto laws and yet that seems to be as such.
These are just a few of the major questions that we has students have. And we do have a right to answers to these questions seeing as that we are all members of the SGA (Article II) and that the SGA is to have Freedom of Information in regards to everything that you all do (Article II, Section 6).
Until questions like this have been answered, the student body will be critical of the SGA in every other word. That is the democratic process at work.
Also, I have a large amount of respect for you all and what you do (The Big Event, Election Day rallying, smoker's rights on campus, cleaning up the campus, etc...yes they really do a LOT at the SGA), but it is hard to maintain that respect when we feel we are being hoodwinked every day. Respect is not something that is automatically given, it must be earned and right now that account has been overdrawn.
Thank you for your time and keep up the GOOD work that you do.
Sincerely,
Gerald (Gerry) Martin
Concerned Student, Fellow Peer
Please note that this is a response to the “Letter to the Editor” in the Rotunda on 11/5/2008. The Rotunda is Longwood University’s student-run newspaper. It is available at www.therotundaonline.com. The letter I am responding to is a "Letter to the Editor" from the week before (10/29/2008), also available at the Rotunda’s website (here is a link to the letter).
Dear Editor,
First let me start off by saying that I am an avid reader of the Rotunda. I have collected nearly every issue in my tenure here as a student of Longwood and I have amassed quite a collection. Second let me say that I have also had the pleasure of going through the Rotunda's archives so I have seen how the paper has morphed and grown over the years that it has been in existence. Thirdly let me say that considering both of those above statements I find Mr. Miles' comments to be quite insulting to the paper and to myself as a reader.
Media is supposed to serve as the conscience of the people. This means that there are going to be good things and bad things that are reported and that it is not going to be popular to a lot of people. Media is not supposed to serve as a sycophant of the people in charge, it is supposed to highlight mistakes and what is being done to correct them. Now a good media outlet does not just report on the bad things, it reports on the good as well. I have yet to see a Rotunda issue that does not praise someone in some way be it the sports teams, and organization, or just someone in general. That is one reason why you all have the Props and Drops as well!
Oh sure, you could never highlight the bad things and be just a propaganda outlet for the University but what good will that do the campus? Will anyone seek to change anything if they do not realize something is wrong? Would we have gone green if people had not reported on how much we were negatively affecting the environment? Would Madeline's House have been saved by the students of Longwood if someone had not said how bad that was and not just let it take its course? We are taught to be citizen leaders here at Longwood and part of being a good citizen leader is not just blindly saying "Yes, yes, everything is ok!" It is saying "no, we have a problem here and it needs to be fixed!"
Secondly tradition is only tradition because no one has bothered to change it. I love the traditions here at Longwood, they are part of why I came. Longwood is an old campus and there are some things that should not be forgotten. But if you look over the years the traditions have changed! Did you know that Oktoberfest used to be a MUCH bigger deal than it is now? It was something that the WHOLE campus got involved in! But over time nothing changed and now the participation is nothing like it used to be. Maybe its time for new traditions? That is what I believe Mr. Holmes was going for. Now I will grant that Mr. Holmes comments about spending on a "kegger" could have been worded differently but if he had said "a huge cake" it would not have changed the tone of the article either. Would you deny him the opportunity for the free speech that is the right of everyone on campus simply because you disagree with his wording? Also the veiled threat Mr. Miles gave over continued reporting of criticisms seems a bit extreme, "Please do not let this article and continued scrutiny and criticism over traditions and spirit bring the paper down."
Remember, this country was founded on criticism about the rule of another country. New traditions were founded and have been reexamined over time and in some cases replaced. It was traditional that women did not vote and that African Americans were second class. The ONLY reason it changed is because someone criticized it and caused the change to happen. If everyone had just gone with the propaganda of the time, where would we be?
Please, be an active citizen leader and criticize your leaders. Do not just be a "yes"-person, be an active citizen leader and enact the change around you. Do not trust someone who says that "everything is fine just trust me" all the time. Be a true student of Longwood!
On a final note I will leave you with this:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Live it, learn it, love it, PRACTICE IT OR LOSE IT!
Sincerely,
Gerald B. Martin
Please note that this is a response to the "Letter to the Editor" in the Rotunda. The Rotunda is Longwood University's student-run newspaper. It is available at www.therotundaonline.com. The letter I am responding to is actually a response to the letter in the 12/3/2008 edition of the paper, also available at the Rotunda's website (here is a link to the letter).
Dear "Your Fellow Peer,"
In reading your article I noticed something that seems to strike me as very peculiar; a bit of naiveness when it comes to actual human beings and their actions. While I applaud the idea that someone will set aside all feelings towards something else that they hold dear when they enter a meeting, the truth of the matter is that does not happen. That is why Chi is an ideal that we all have to strive for, it is not natural for us to begin with (to quote the saying at the Chi Fountain "Chi, founded in 1900, is an ideal always sought but never obtained/It is the spirit found in the hearts and minds of those who seek its real purpose/Loyalty-Character-Respect-Challenge-Responsibility."). That would be like the newly elected President of the United States Barack Obama setting aside everything that he has worked for in the Democratic Party and adopting a neutral stance. It is all well and good to strive for that neutrality but the reality is that it will not happen except with much work. And many of the students do not see that kind of work being put out (even if it is).
Also, your letter seems to be referring to the money situation much more than the letter you are referencing. Truly I found only a single reference to money in the previous letter on 12/3/2008 (which I did not write) and that is in the first paragraph! The major of the letter focuses on procedural issues within the SGA itself such as following your own Constitution and the rest focuses on the attitudes of the SGA towards other organizations on campus. I also noticed that you still have not addressed any of these issues in your letter; I am hoping that is to follow in another Letter to the Editor sometime soon.
The questions that need to be addressed in my opinion are as follows:
1) Why is it that the meetings of the SGA are not publicized in some fashion? I am sure more Students would attend if they knew when and where the meetings are. I happen to know they are most often in the ABC rooms on Tuesdays at 3:45 but that is only because I have been instructed to come to them in the past. Student Finance Council (SFC) meetings are on Thursdays at 7pm and are open to the campus as well.
2) Why is it that parts of your own Constitution are not being followed? The biggest reference to that has been Jordan Miles sitting on the Senate as a Senator whilst also being the Chairperson of Judicial Board. This goes specifically against Article IV, Section 1, Subsection A, Paragraph 5, Sub-Paragraph R and it goes against Article V, Section 7.
3) Why are major revisions to the Constitution and other Bylaws not publicized to the campus? I know that we vote on the major changes to the Constitution as a student body, but why are they not publicized in some form such as in the Rotunda or via a mass email to the campus? Bylaw changes, such as to the SFC, are not voted on by the Student Body (Article 4, Section 1, Subsection B, Paragraph 3, Sub-Paragraph A) and are not known to the student body unless someone requests a copy from a Senator. Finding even how the voting went for the changes we do vote for is nearly impossible; I have yet to be able to find the voting group on Blackboard or find the counts on the votes.
4) Why is it that no information is given to the Senate on why the SFC voted the way it did? The Senate is expected to vote on the recommendation of the SFC which is not even a half-count (having just 12 members) of the entirety of the Senate but are given no explanation as to why the SFC reached the decision it did. Most organizations submit budget request paperwork to the SFC; why is this same paperwork not distributed to the Senators?
5) Why is there no publicized way to contact the SGA? This partly goes back to the question of the meetings of the SGA, but why is it that there is no listed way to contact the SGA or even a location of the SGA's offices (they are in the Student Union, around the corner of the C room of the ABC rooms) or a listing of office hours?
6) Speaking of the money, why is there no published listing of how the SGA allocates the money or even how much money the SGA has to allocate to begin with? It has been said that we are in a budget crunch but there has been no evidence to show it. There is also no accountability to the students in how the SGA uses the money.
7) Why was the money denied to APO when there is no current rule in effect that prevents them from having the money? It was said that a revision to the bylaws was being proposed but that it had not been proposed or passed as of yet. According to your Constitution (Article III, Section 4) there can be no Ex-Post Facto laws and yet that seems to be as such.
These are just a few of the major questions that we has students have. And we do have a right to answers to these questions seeing as that we are all members of the SGA (Article II) and that the SGA is to have Freedom of Information in regards to everything that you all do (Article II, Section 6).
Until questions like this have been answered, the student body will be critical of the SGA in every other word. That is the democratic process at work.
Also, I have a large amount of respect for you all and what you do (The Big Event, Election Day rallying, smoker's rights on campus, cleaning up the campus, etc...yes they really do a LOT at the SGA), but it is hard to maintain that respect when we feel we are being hoodwinked every day. Respect is not something that is automatically given, it must be earned and right now that account has been overdrawn.
Thank you for your time and keep up the GOOD work that you do.
Sincerely,
Gerald (Gerry) Martin
Concerned Student, Fellow Peer
Please note that this is a response to the “Letter to the Editor” in the Rotunda on 11/5/2008. The Rotunda is Longwood University’s student-run newspaper. It is available at www.therotundaonline.com. The letter I am responding to is a "Letter to the Editor" from the week before (10/29/2008), also available at the Rotunda’s website (here is a link to the letter).
Dear Editor,
First let me start off by saying that I am an avid reader of the Rotunda. I have collected nearly every issue in my tenure here as a student of Longwood and I have amassed quite a collection. Second let me say that I have also had the pleasure of going through the Rotunda's archives so I have seen how the paper has morphed and grown over the years that it has been in existence. Thirdly let me say that considering both of those above statements I find Mr. Miles' comments to be quite insulting to the paper and to myself as a reader.
Media is supposed to serve as the conscience of the people. This means that there are going to be good things and bad things that are reported and that it is not going to be popular to a lot of people. Media is not supposed to serve as a sycophant of the people in charge, it is supposed to highlight mistakes and what is being done to correct them. Now a good media outlet does not just report on the bad things, it reports on the good as well. I have yet to see a Rotunda issue that does not praise someone in some way be it the sports teams, and organization, or just someone in general. That is one reason why you all have the Props and Drops as well!
Oh sure, you could never highlight the bad things and be just a propaganda outlet for the University but what good will that do the campus? Will anyone seek to change anything if they do not realize something is wrong? Would we have gone green if people had not reported on how much we were negatively affecting the environment? Would Madeline's House have been saved by the students of Longwood if someone had not said how bad that was and not just let it take its course? We are taught to be citizen leaders here at Longwood and part of being a good citizen leader is not just blindly saying "Yes, yes, everything is ok!" It is saying "no, we have a problem here and it needs to be fixed!"
Secondly tradition is only tradition because no one has bothered to change it. I love the traditions here at Longwood, they are part of why I came. Longwood is an old campus and there are some things that should not be forgotten. But if you look over the years the traditions have changed! Did you know that Oktoberfest used to be a MUCH bigger deal than it is now? It was something that the WHOLE campus got involved in! But over time nothing changed and now the participation is nothing like it used to be. Maybe its time for new traditions? That is what I believe Mr. Holmes was going for. Now I will grant that Mr. Holmes comments about spending on a "kegger" could have been worded differently but if he had said "a huge cake" it would not have changed the tone of the article either. Would you deny him the opportunity for the free speech that is the right of everyone on campus simply because you disagree with his wording? Also the veiled threat Mr. Miles gave over continued reporting of criticisms seems a bit extreme, "Please do not let this article and continued scrutiny and criticism over traditions and spirit bring the paper down."
Remember, this country was founded on criticism about the rule of another country. New traditions were founded and have been reexamined over time and in some cases replaced. It was traditional that women did not vote and that African Americans were second class. The ONLY reason it changed is because someone criticized it and caused the change to happen. If everyone had just gone with the propaganda of the time, where would we be?
Please, be an active citizen leader and criticize your leaders. Do not just be a "yes"-person, be an active citizen leader and enact the change around you. Do not trust someone who says that "everything is fine just trust me" all the time. Be a true student of Longwood!
On a final note I will leave you with this:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Live it, learn it, love it, PRACTICE IT OR LOSE IT!
Sincerely,
Gerald B. Martin