SAFB is undemocratic
Last year, Student Blood Services petitioned for money and received nothing from the Student Activities Fund Board. This year, the SAFB denied us the opportunity to even petition for funding because they felt our needs could be fulfilled through fundraising instead.
Here’s my problem – every quarter I give $40 to the SAFB, and yet I have little to no input as to where that money goes. If I want my money to go towards funding my student group, why shouldn’t it? Now I can’t even make that argument anymore because my group isn’t eligible for funding. A group of students who I never voted for felt the group I work for did not deserve the opportunity to be funded.
Now Associated Student Government wants to increase the activities fee so that even more of my money doesn’t go towards a cause I support. I have a suggestion: Before you decide to take more of my money, make sure the system in place actually works. If everyone has to pay $40, everyone should get to choose the members of the SAFB. The current, grossly-undemocratic system isn’t good enough. So fix your system, or give me my money back for each of the last 11 quarters I’ve been here.
– Rahul Kalita,
Weinberg senior
Treasurer, Student Blood Services
Pro-life group hypocritical
Asahel Church and the rest of the so-called Northwestern Students for Life are currently living under a supreme misnomer. No need to fear though, for this can be rectified. There are many groups in the area with whom NSFL can team up with to protest the Iraq war, and war in general.
While they’re at it, because the death penalty is still on the books, NSFL should demand it be outlawed. Working to strengthen gun control laws also would prevent needless violent deaths, and because they are concerned with infant life, how about NSFL fight to ensure that states offset President George W. Bush and the Republican Congress’ recent budget cuts that fatally prevent low-income children from access to medically necessary healthcare services? NSFL might even want to fight for a woman’s right to an abortion if her own life is threatened by childbirth, often a reason women choose to get abortions. The possibilities are endless.
However, if being consistently pro-life is too hard, NSFL can always change their name to “Northwestern Students Against the Choice to get an Abortion.”
– Elaine Meyer,
Weinberg senior
ASG actually does good
Continually, the staff at The Daily has chosen to criticize the work of the Associated Student Government. Without question, it has the right and, indeed, the responsibility to do so. Yet throughout this academic year, The Daily has given a strictly one-sided view of ASG’s activities.
There is more to ASG than weekly meetings filled with bickering. The Daily chooses not to recognize the work that ASG committee members undertake. In one of the editorials in Thursday’s paper, half a column was wasted talking about something most students are already aware of. Congratulations!
If The Daily took the time to know what ASG committees do throughout the week, the staff, as well as the community at large would know that members of the Student Services Committee are currently conducting research about how this very real problem can be remedied. The Daily also has failed to commend the work of committee members who are working for summer internship grants and improving shuttles among other things. Rather than offer pathetic, vague solutions such as “cooperation between students and security monitors,” The Daily owes it to committee members to recognize the positive work that they do and print editorials that encourage committees to continue their strong impact at Northwestern.
– Rachel Leess,
Weinberg sophomore