2008 Woodie Awards
Senate has duty to release information
Editorial Board
Issue date: 4/4/06 Section: Opinions
The Student Senate last week removed six members for failure to meet the requirements of membership.
The Daily Eastern News found about this last Wednesday when some of the removed senate members sat in the audience during the weekly senate meeting. However, it took until that Friday to confirm the information with anyone involved with the senate.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the removed senate members were still listed on the Student Government Web site, and no press release had been sent.
This may have been a simple case of phone tag that can happen between groups of busy people. But it fits a pattern the Student Government Association has shown in the past of trying to protect the image of the senate at the expense of informing the student body they are supposed to serve.
Twice in recent years, including earlier this semester, the senate has closed a legally mandated open meeting for improper reasons when the discussion was likely to turn critical of senate members or programs (such as the Big Red Dot Campaign).
As its members prepare for an election in two weeks, it is time to remind the student government of Eastern that openness is always preferable to secrecy and that they are here to serve the students of Eastern and not the organization itself.
Open government is one of the pillars of democracy. That is why the state has an Open Meetings Act. Because the Student Senate has access to money from student fees at this public university, they are required to follow that act.
Regardless of the legal requirements, the government members are elected with the understanding that they will represent the students that voted them into office.
The senate members in question had missed a comibination of committee meetings, office hours and the diversity requirement. Their removal from the senate was the right thing to do.
At least one of the two parties, the United University, are campaigning this election period on making the senate more accessible to students. Let's hope that they remember that the first time an issue comes up that does not reflect well on their organization.
The Daily Eastern News found about this last Wednesday when some of the removed senate members sat in the audience during the weekly senate meeting. However, it took until that Friday to confirm the information with anyone involved with the senate.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the removed senate members were still listed on the Student Government Web site, and no press release had been sent.
This may have been a simple case of phone tag that can happen between groups of busy people. But it fits a pattern the Student Government Association has shown in the past of trying to protect the image of the senate at the expense of informing the student body they are supposed to serve.
Twice in recent years, including earlier this semester, the senate has closed a legally mandated open meeting for improper reasons when the discussion was likely to turn critical of senate members or programs (such as the Big Red Dot Campaign).
As its members prepare for an election in two weeks, it is time to remind the student government of Eastern that openness is always preferable to secrecy and that they are here to serve the students of Eastern and not the organization itself.
Open government is one of the pillars of democracy. That is why the state has an Open Meetings Act. Because the Student Senate has access to money from student fees at this public university, they are required to follow that act.
Regardless of the legal requirements, the government members are elected with the understanding that they will represent the students that voted them into office.
The senate members in question had missed a comibination of committee meetings, office hours and the diversity requirement. Their removal from the senate was the right thing to do.
At least one of the two parties, the United University, are campaigning this election period on making the senate more accessible to students. Let's hope that they remember that the first time an issue comes up that does not reflect well on their organization.
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