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Zachary M. Raimi Smoke & Mirrors |
Dear Michael and Olga, Congratulations on your election as Michigan Student Assembly president and vice president.
The campaign appeared to be refreshingly clean compared to previous years - not only were there fewer campaign posters, but there were fewer ad hominem attacks. And, the voter turn-out rate increased to about 15 percent, which is a good sign.
Your victory, however, must be a double-edged sword. While your jobs promise to be personally and professionally rewarding, they will bring you tough criticism, great responsibility and extreme pressure.
You two were able to reinvigorate the Students' Party. Now, it is your responsibility to reinvigorate MSA.
Often, people deeply rooted in organizations lose sight of the public's perception of them. You two, for example, have spent much time within MSA's chambers, so it is important to hear an outsider's perspective, which is the purpose of this letter.
For the majority of the student body, MSA is nothing more than a collection of whiny, annoying, bratty kids who fight over stupid and petty things. They think the reason why you participate in the assembly is because you wish to add a fancy line to your resumes.
Some students actually think MSA has a purpose, but many of these students have become distressed with the assembly's ethical and financial practices. For example, current president Fiona Rose attracted widespread criticism when she spent about $150 on a Franklin Planner with MSA funds. While not illegal, it seemed to be an excessively expensive item. And current MSA vice president Probir Mehta came under fire when it was discovered that he inappropriately authorized funds to a student group last summer. Even more students were outraged when former president Flint Wainess compromised his anti-Code of Student Conduct position. These are just three examples; you should know better than any of us that many more exist.
You two enter the executive offices of MSA with the chance to build on MSA's positives and redefine the assembly's purpose in students' lives. While the assembly should continue to fund student groups, fight for a student regent, and work with the regents to keep tuition increases under control, you should take advantage of the many opportunities to make MSA more relevant to students' lives. To do this, you must concentrate your efforts on the little things that affect our quality of life at the University.
Let me give you two examples. A few years ago, when LSA decided to prevent fourth-term foreign language students from electing the pass/fail option, MSA did not do enough to fight this terrible assault on student rights. While this "fight" fell under the jurisdiction of LSA-Student Government, MSA should have gotten involved. The majority of the students were opposed to this plan. When they needed their student government, it was nowhere to be found.
Second, MSA did not do enough when the Information Technology Division changed some of its policies and angered many students. ITD raised printing fees in its computer labs from four to eight cents per page. Also, it removed the wait-list policy for computers at Angell Hall. (And, for several weeks earlier this term, the dial-in servers caused major headaches for off-campus students; due to technical troubles, logging in to the University's computer servers was tortuous.)
Despite the anger these policies incited in University students, MSA did not stand up to ITD and fight. While such a battle may be less glamourous than a petition to get a student regent, this is much more relevant to a majority of University students. MSA was silent on the issue and students felt as if they had nowhere to turn.
Mike and Olga, your platform shows promise. For example, you have called for the establishment of a student-run coursepack store where students can sell or swap coursepacks. This is an excellent idea, one that will actually make a difference in students' lives. It has the potential to save us money, time and aggravation.
Other ideas include: a lobbying effort to make the University keep more libraries open past midnight, the creation of scholarships to help some students with tuition, and an attempt to have the University improve its drainage system, particularly outside of the Fishbowl, so that when it rains, students don't have to wade through deep puddles.
I wish you two the best of luck throughout the next year.
- Zack Raimi can be reached over e-mail at rmz@umich.edu