Anyone have any thoughts on the editoral in the Miner today “Don’t want SGA? You may not have a choice” ?

Let me just point out that article was a letter to the editor, not an editorial. No one on the Miner staff wrote that.

I wrote the letter to the editor, and here is an email that was given to me:

"Organization Presidents:



This e-mail is inviting you to a meeting on Monday, March 22 at 3 p.m. in the Missouri Room of University Center East.



At this meeting I plan on addressing the editorial published in the March 18, 2004 Edition of the Missouri Miner titled “Don’t want SGA? You may not have a choice.” on page 5. I’m sure for many of you this article has roused vehement concerns; I assure you, however, that I would never take any action detrimental to the Student Body of UMR. I look forward to addressing your concerns, comments, and questions.



Thank you for your time.



Sincerely,

Julia Rosemann

Student Council President"

It would appear that this is a damage control meeting, for not informing everyone in the first place.

This is NOT a damage control meeting. This is a meeting to refute the idiotic and childish claims made in the editorial by Mr. Terry. Most of the major organizations that would be directly affected had already been contacted and told that a process was underway. A large diverse group will be meeting immediately following Spring Break in order to review the proposal and go forward.

I would note that the Iraqi transitional government took less time to write a Constitution for a COUNTRY than Mr. Terry suggested for the SGA constitution. Mr. Terry is merely upset that he was not involved in the process, due to his recent rash of irresponsible and childish actions within the Student Council.

The changes being proposed are responsive to the hundreds of concerns posed during the last election. Complaining about the lack of change and then complaining that change is happening is so oxymoronic as to be beyond comprehension.

Marty Rust

at this point i would like to say that i think this organization should be dissolved. unless there is a major restructuring campus wide, i think this is the best option. i am tired of my money going to this organization for what little they seem to be doing, and i am tired of hearing about how they are pretty much not doing anything or being manipulated by individuals. seriously some of these rep's behavior is childish. you were worried about sounding like you were highschool level. i would put you more in grade school. untill i hear a better idea that is brought to the general student population before it is decided upon and put to a student and administrator wide approval, i advocate your dissolution. you have not given me sufficient evidence as to why i should keep paying you nor have you proved to me that you provide a valuable service to this campus.

Mr. Rust it is amazing that you of all people would call me childish. THis is coming from the person who quit an organization because he was mad he didn't get his own way. I am not arguing that change is bad, but that not enough people have been informed, transparency is what you are always arguing the Student Council and its Officers need to be. I will also bet that I have done more good for Student Council in the past year than you did in 4, furthermore suggesting that the new constitution be thrown together in such a quick manner is idiotic and will be political suicide for Student Council.

It isn't that we are complaining that there is change happening, it is the way it is happening. More often than not, StuCo from what i have seen has made decisions (or so they claim) that should have been presented to the student body first. This is one of those decisions. If you want to form a new government, CONSULT THOSE YOU ARE REPRESENTING!!! That is what is wrong. Don't tell me "ooh, but your hall has a rep for that, blah blah blah." I know we do, but that doesn't mean that what i think needs to happen is what he is going to mention. Make a questionare to be sent to every student via mail (campus or email), construct a week or two long poll at the puck, do something, but DON'T keep its creation confined to the already screwed up organization, otherwise it will only be the deformed child of its predecessor.

I agree with Bj

As for marty rust, "Complaining about the lack of change and then complaining that change is happening is so oxymoronic as to be beyond comprehension." It makes perfect sense when the changes being made are BAD ones. I want change, but I'm complaining more now because the changes I see being proposed are worse then nothing being done at all.

As for your closed mindedness, the fact that you attack Mr. Terry instead of his ideas suggests that YOU are in fact the "idiotic and childish" one.

It's funny how much my opinion of StuCo has decreased over the past three weeks. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Nope....maybe somebody should pass a motion to have the name changed to the UMR council of "special" students.

Sir: What changes have you seen? There has been no formal presentation of ideas yet. You are attacking ideas that you haven't even heard or seen.

Furthermore, you have to have a framework on which to basis ideas. There is 10 years of survey data on what people want their student government and student organizations to do. You can't ask the general population to create from scratch a streamlined form of government. You can, however, take an idea to those who would be affected and ask for their input in creating a final draft. The constitution that Julia Rosemann and others are working on is NOT a final draft. Furthermore, there is a clause within it that says it will not be implemented for 1 year from it's passage in order to create a smooth transition. If Mr. Terry and others would get the FACTS before making attacks, they would be doing the entire UMR Student Body a much greater service.

Mr. Terry: I have nothing to prove regarding my accomplishments in the UMR Student Body. I have accomplished almost everything I have made a goal, and I feel that I have made UMR a better place. I left the Student Council when I felt that it and I had reached the end of our effectiveness. In doing so, I helped spawn a very public debate about changes that are needed with the UMR Student Government. Oh, and the Andrew Sears Extraordinary Student Leadership Award Committee seems to have thought I didn't do too bad a job.

MAR~

Here's their six major purposes (from their site)



If anyone can tell me what Stuco has actually done in the past 7 semesters (since I've been here), please do. I'd like to know exactly what they've done to meet and uphold these purposes, because right now it seems like they're trying to break each one of these...

I agree. The fighting is silly.

I asked this question six weeks ago and my answer is still pending. Maybe they should form a committee to figure this out?

I didn't really know there was a StuCo until this semester.
And I'm graduating in May.