With midterm exams behind us and the end of the semester fast approaching, it is time to take a serious look at our performance, to reward ourselves for what we have done well and think about what we can improve upon. While it is important to realize that the year is not even half over, now is as good a time as any to take a closer look at our Student Association’s progress.
In April, newly elected S.A. President David Hiltz and Vice President Teresa Sullivan said improved communication was one of their main goals for the 2009-10 school year. So far, the lines of communication appear to be open. Throughout the semester, the S.A. has sent out e-mails asking for students’ opinions about, among other things, the spring concert and the movie channel, which is back after student demand. It is hoped this communication will continue, especially when it comes time to release election results. Overall, communication has not been too shabby.
Another goal was to revamp the dormant S.A. Web site as a tool to reach out to students. The new and improved site, smcvtsa.com, was recently unveiled in a campuswide e-mail and lists summary information from the weekly meetings. Contact information for all Executive Board members and club representatives is also available. The calendar section, however, appears to still be in the works. We hope this Web site will become a more integral part of students’ experiences, like Outlook or eCollege.However, it will require dedication and constant maintenance.
Hiltz recently announced that there will be a constitutional advisory committee to review the S.A. Constitution. This council could be tremendously successful, provided that an active and impartial group of students takes a close look at issues that really need to be addressed. These issues include funding for partisan clubs, the purchasing of food, and the idea of executive privilege, which no one, including Hiltz, has been able to explain, and seems to indicates that the entire constitution is void if the president says so. Executive privilege first appeared in the 2009 version of the constitution, apparently without discussion.
“My understanding of executive privilege is that it comes from our own American system,” Hiltz said.
When asked about changes that would be made to the constitution regarding executive privilege, he said, “I would have to find out more about that. If that’s something that people want to address, we should definitely address it.”
It seems as though our student government is making good on its word; however, with more than half the year left, there is certainly time to address some important issues.
-The Defender/Echo Staff
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